Parables

THE GOOD KING AND HIS CHILDREN

There once was a good king who had many sons and daughters. Though the king was good, his kingdom was full of wicked men. In his goodness, his people rebelled. The king tried desperately to reach out and help his people, but the people refused his help. He tried desperately to show his people that he loved them. Each day the king would go out and continually pursue his people, but each time, they spat in his face. They rejected him. They turned away from him in anger. Until one day, there was rioting at the palace doors. They were barricaded closed, and the king was no longer allowed to even step out the doors. The king had the power and the authority to break down the doors and burn the city. With one gesture of his hand, he had the power to destroy his wicked wicked people, but in his great undying love for the inhabitants of the city, he withheld his wrath in the hope that they would return to him. Each day the king would sit on his throne and weep for the city. He cried out from his castle to his people, but they ignored his cries. They would plug up their ears and make terrible noises to block out the sound of the king. Every day, the king would speak to his people about the joy they once had. He would speak about the feasts that they once enjoyed. He spoke about the festivals and parties they once held. He reminded them of the health they once new. There was once a day when there was no sorrow. There was no pain. There was no hunger. He pleaded with them to remember those days, but they could not hear. Why would they turn from such a king, you may ask. Well, one day, a man dressed in white clothing with gold thread embroidered into it came into the town from a far off place. He told the people about exciting and beautiful far away lands. He deceived the people that the land they now knew was actually a horrid place and that his home was much much better. He invited them to come to the kingdom with him. The king tried to warn the people, but the man in shiny white clothing fooled them. They did not listen. They refused, and they left the city with the man. No one knows what happened to them while they were away. However, when they returned they poisoned the rest of the people with the death they carried inside their soul. They also brought strange new people into the city with them. The people they brought in are ugly people who are very small. They are also very skinny and weak too. They dress in special clothing that gives them the appearance that they are much taller than the people of the kingdom and also much much more strong. They came into the city as friends and “angels of light”, but after many of the people became infected with the poison of the soul, the so-called angels of light were able to blind the people to the king. They no longer had to masquerade as a friend, but instead, they became their master and the people their willing slaves. They command the people of the town to plug up their ears and tell them that they are a good master and their only master. When the people begin hearing the voice of the king the masters over the people scream at them and warn them not to stray away from what they are doing, instead, work harder, do more. They made them go throughout the city every day, searching for more people who may be left so that they can poison them too. The poisoned people willingly and hungrily would go out and, the poison spread until the entire city that dwelled outside the king’s house was infected. The king wept bitterly over the people, and his children did not see. They laughed in the other rooms of his temple. They enjoyed the gifts that he had bestowed upon them. They rested in his love for them and were completely oblivious to his sorrow for his kingdom. He took delight in them, and that is what they saw. He spoke kindly to them, and told them they were his beloved sons and daughters. They laughed with him, and played as he watched. They enjoyed safety and the wonderful delights as the children of the king. Each day the king would come into their room and just watch them play. He took great joy in knowing that they loved him and were well pleased with the things he gave them.  One day they longed to be with their father especially more and thus ventured out of their playroom. They were getting older now and though they adored their room, they craved more. The oldest boys took the first step out into throne room of their father and went to his feet and like the king did for them. The children surrounded him. They spoke of their love for him. They told him he was a good father, a faithful friend, and good and just king, he was their savior, and their love. They spoke praise to him. They repeated it over and over again. They asked for him to come to them more. They asked to know what was on his heart. They told him how the loved him so, and how they wanted to be just like him when they grew up. The king smiled, hiding back his tears, and the children continued to praise him. They then asked him what was on his heart, and so he did. He told them he valued their love for him more than gold or silver. He loved them with everything he was and more. He told them he loved how they spoke of their love to him, and he was strengthened and encouraged by it. He then explained his great love for his kingdom as well and of the life he wished he could give them. Of the fellowship he once knew and longed after.  The children didn’t understand fully what was occurring outside the walls of their safe haven of a home, and but they longed to see the king happy. They asked the king to go outside the walls of the home, and bring the people back in. tot go out and get them. To bring them to life again. They asked for these things, but they didn’t understand fully what exactly they were asking.  They asked for hours. Sometimes one would speak and sometimes they all would be shouting asking for the same things. In the end, they would fall on the ground in laughter at their silly requests. They were serious; yes, but they laughed because of the joy they had in being together. They adored each other’s fellowship. They sat together every night at a great table with a marvelous feast prepared for them, but they did not eat. They just laughed together, and talked together. They told stories of their father, the king, and their father laughed with them. This is the life that he desired for his people too, and his people desired it too, but they didn’t know it. The next day the children went into the throne room again and did the same thing, but this time it ended with less laughter, and more pleading for their friends in the city to come into the home. They missed their friends. They wanted them to enjoy this kind of family with them. Then their father replied, so be it, and the children were satisfied enough to go to sleep. Again, the children went out to see their father and seek out what was on his heart today, but he was not on his throne. They wandered around the castle, which they had never done before in search for their father and found him on his knees with his head buried in his hands weeping bitterly. They hid back in their room and discussed why they thought he was crying, but could come up with no answer. So his precious children came out, surrounded them and one of his daughters rested in his lap, touched his cheek with her little hand and said, “papa, why do you cry?” he pointed at the door, and the king told them how the people hated him. He expressed how he was so good to them and did everything he could for them, and yet, they still abandoned him. They failed to heed his advice and thus, they suffered for it now. He wanted to help them, but they refused and reject it. They cursed him and hated him. As he explained this, his voice broke and was caught amongst the tears and would not come out. The eldest son went to the door to see the town that his father had explained, and as he reached for the doorknob the angry mob that hated the king so, lashed out again screaming their disgust for him. The king hurried over to the door, and pulled the son away protectively. The king went back to his throne pacing back and forth this time in anger until falling again to his knee’s weeping one last time for his people. This time, however, he wept for the wrath that he was soon going to pour out on them. He had been trying to hint to it for a while now, but they still refused to listen. Now, his children were being put in danger. He could not risk this. He must destroy the city, and destroy the disease of death.  He explained to his children that he must punish the town. He had no other choice. Upon hearing this, the children began begging and pleading for him to have mercy. They saw the sorrow and pain in the town’s people’s eyes and they urged him to let them go out. They asked for him to withhold his wrath for just a while. They asked if there was any other way. Their father told them, that someone must go out and bring them back, but he had been rejected time and time again. He was not welcome in his town any longer. He asked, “Who will I send? Who will go?” he asked this almost as a rhetorical question, but the response was great indeed. “We will go, father. We will go. Send us.”

The father looked up, he knew his children had his heart, but he was still taken aback by their willingness to go out into the darkness. He also feared it, but he had to trust them. He did not want to pour out his wrath and there was no one else to go. He began to tear up again, but almost in relief this time. He told the children, “come, follow me.” He led them a back room, where he had a suit of armor for each of them. The king had hoped and anticipated that his children would develop his heart for his kingdom. He wanted them to want to go out into the dark world and bring his people back to him, but he didn’t want to force them into the darkness if they were not ready. They had proven to him that they were ready on the inside, but not on the outside just yet. With each child, he tenderly and carefully placed each piece of armor on them explaining what each did and why they needed it. Then, he gave them each something valuable of his. Each gift was unique and precious to him, and it was given as a gift to them, but it didn’t fully belong to them. It was meant to be shared rather than horded. To the group he gave his signet ring and said, “By this ring, everyone will know you are my child. The masters outside these walls will try to get to you, but they will have no power if you show them that you are mine. Hold fast to this ring. It will bind you to me forever.” To another, he gave a torch, “tell my stories, and think of me, and the light will never go out. The more you meditate on the life I have given you, and the things of our castle, the more the light will grow, and the more it will pierce the heart of death. People will be drawn to the light you possess, because they hunger for it, though they do not know. They will come to you, and as they hear the stories of me they will remember. They will join you, and tell your stories too, as they do so, the light will grow even more. Each night, come back to me, and I will give you rest. Encourage everyone to follow you back home and I will keep them here where it is safe. Do not worry about bringing the masters of darkness into my palace. I will deal with them myself if they try and enter.” He also told them that he was sending his army out with them. The army was going to surround them and protect them if they so commanded. He put them each in charge of a legion of them.  They were a shield around them, a hedge of protection, and so, the children went out into battle. Each day they dwelled on things of castle, their heaven, and each day as they did so, they brought it out with them. Every night, they would come back home and relax in their father’s arms laying their head on his chest. He would give them rest and strength again for the next day. He would speak of how much he loved them, and how proud he was of them. He couldn’t ever fully express his love for them though. It burned inside of his heart. He delighted in them so. They were his children, and he was oh so pleased with them. Soon came a day, when they no longer had to go out into the kingdom, because it had been saved all of it was whole again. All was well in the kingdom and each of the town’s people once again dwelled on their king and worshiped him. The torched was placed on the top of the palace and everyone looked to it in awe for the light was great and reached far throughout the kingdom, eventually even reaching into other kingdoms as well.

What happened to the man in white clothing with the shiny gold thread you may ask? Well, my child, the town’s people hated him, and called him the deceiver, for that is what he is. He is a liar and a devil. He is a gentlemen who parades as an angel of light, but do not be fooled, dear one. He is no angel. He is a demon of darkness, and the people are aware of his schemes.

They refuse to be led astray again. Yes, some tried to seek him out to trample him under their foot, but the king said, “no, I will deal with him myself.”  We have fought our part of the war, and we must not wander outside the protection of the light. We must stay under the shadow of his wing.

CAMP FIRE FAMILY

There was once a happy family who would gather in the woods every night around a flaming fire and be united with their stories and laughter. They always welcomed everyone who came to them and asked to share stories around the fire. One night, a little boy in tattered clothing came in with a bright smile on his face and an evil look in his eyes. He had a plan to bring division between the family. He didn’t have a family like this one, and he hated them for being so close and so united and so happy. He was jealous. He told terrible stories. He took sticks from the fire and threw them at the other children. He made them uncomfortable and distracted them from their precious time together. The family was at a loss for what to do. They wanted to love the little boy, because they saw the need in him. But, he was hurting them. They surrounded the little boy, and asked him to come into their family. They clothed the little boy in their best Sunday cloths and hugged him and each gave their most precious gift. The little boy was shocked. He didn’t know he could have a family like this. He didn’t know that people were capable of such love, but the little boy still had that evil look in his eye. That look came from deep within his soul. The little boy had one moment of delight and for one moment thought that maybe he could join the family, but it was only a moment. It passed like a shadow in the wind, and the unseen evil that rested on the boys shoulder whispering the evil stories in his ear whispered a terrible idea in his mind.  The boy listened. He took the gifts from the family and left them with nothing left but their burning fire and the ground they sat on. The family was crushed and broken, but they were not destroyed. The little boy left with treasures of the earth, but sorrow of the soul dwelling within eating away the last bit of life he had left. He went and hid in the shadows watching as the family sat around the fire continuing to tell their stories, laughing, and loving each other still. He broke down and cried and the evil still resting on his shoulder started whispering terrible things in his ear again, but he had had enough. He took the evil wise owl on his shoulder and rung his neck. He threw him to the ground and trampled him under his foot. Then ran back to the family, returning the gifts that were given to him and begging for mercy and forgiveness. The family welcomed him with open arms. They forgave him and lifted him up and all was well again.