Grow without trying

It is said that a little fellow was found one day by his mother, standing by a tall sunflower, with his feet stuck in the ground.

When asked by her, “What in the world are you doing there?” he naively answered, “Why, I am trying to grow to be a man.”

His mother laughed heartily at the idea of his getting planted in the ground in order to grow, like the sunflower, and then, patting him gently on the head, “Why, Harry, that is not the way to grow. You can never grow bigger by trying. Just come right in, and eat lots of good food, and have plenty of play, and you will soon grow to be a man without trying so hard.”

Well, Harry's mother was right. Mrs. H. W. Smith never said a sweeter thing than when she answered the question—“How do the lilies grow?” by simply adding, “They grow without trying.”

Source: Simpson, A. B. (Albert B.). Days of Heaven Upon Earth (November 21). Kindle Edition.