The Parable of the Quicksand

One day while walking in the forest watching for birds, Clarence came upon a man stuck up to his waist in quick sand. Surprised that the man who was sinking deeper each minute wasn’t calling for help, Clarence asked if he wanted help. “Another one of you bird watchers,” the man said. “You think you have all the answers.”

Startled Clarence said, “But I have a good, sturdy rope. I could tie it to a tree and give you the end so you could pull yourself out.”

“You just don’t see reality do you?” the sinking man said. “You think that all there is to life is walking along your way enjoying nature, observing birds. But reality is mud and quick sand and those are the things we need to deal with in life. You think just because I hold on to some rope I can be out of this mess?”

“Well, yes. I once fell in quicksand, but I got out by using a rope.”

“How little you know of life. Are you not educated? Have you been brainwashed so that you don’t see reality? I know your type. A Simpleton with Pollyanna solutions to life’s deepest problems.”

Clarence could see that the man was getting deeper and deeper into the muck and he feared for the man’s life. “But you are sinking fast. Please let me help you out!”
The man laughed. “You think a rope is going to save mankind from all the sinkholes in the world. Take off your rose colored glasses, man! See reality for a change! This is reality!” and he pointed to the mud that engulfed him.

“But I’m standing on dry ground. That mud is not my reality.”

“So naïve!” the man said. But by now his chin was touching the mud.

“Please,” Clarence called one last time. “Let me help you. There is so much more to the forest than quicksand. Let me give you the rope and then show you the trees and animals and flowers.”

But it was too late. With a proud, all knowing smirk on his face the man slowly disappeared into the mud.

The moral of this story? Negative attitudes sink the soul but they also blind the eyes.

Picture found at: http://www.movements.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/34776777quicksand-1.jpg

The Parable of Constraint and Circumstance

At the very moment Grace was born, Constraint took hold of one of her hands and her sister Circumstance took hold of the other and not knowing any better, Grace held tight to the hand of each sister. At times it seemed annoying. She’d find new things that she wanted to reach out and touch, to bring them closer so she could enjoy their scent, or even sometimes to taste them. But the hold Constraint and Circumstance had on her hands didn’t allow her to reach out and grasp anything else. And she never thought to let go. After all she’d never seen anyone who wasn’t holding tight to the same sisters

As she grew older the grip seemed so natural that most of the time it was actually comforting. “What if they let go?” She’d find herself thinking. “What would happen to me?” So she’d worry and hold tighter than ever. But even then there were times when she’d imagine what it would be like to have her hands free. She’d always had a secret longing to write poetry, but Constraint and Circumstance in the unspoken way they had of communicating let her know that poetry was impractical. She was meant for cooking and cleaning not reading or writing poetry.

So she put away the thoughts of poetry and went the way Constraint and Circumstance guided her without complaining. That is until one day in her late teens when a new girl, Faith, entered her cooking class with no one holding her hands. There was an audible gasp as Faith entered the room and took her seat. The teacher looked annoyed even when Faith expressed her delight at being able to take a cooking class. She’d always wanted to be a chef and this was the beginning of fulfilling her dream.

At first Grace sat bewildered unable to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. The bewilderment soon turned to curiosity and then a resolve to talk to Faith. As soon as class ended, Grace stood to move toward Faith, but found herself pulled back by the unflinching Constraint and Circumstance. Faith was leaving the room and the opportunity would soon be lost. The desire to speak to Faith burst into courage. Grace let go of the hands that had held her so long, and hurried to Faith’s side.

Seeing her approach, Faith smiled and embraced her enthusiastically. “Oh, finally a friend!” she exclaimed.

“What?” Grace asked. But as she said it, she realized she had let go. She was free. She didn’t need to ask the questions of Faith. She knew! After all these long years, all she had to do was let go.

Leaving the Ball

The music had ended, but the heart of the young princess still danced with delight as the memories of the beautiful ball swirled within her. The music, her dress, the flattering compliments, the food, the company, the laughter, everything had been perfect. Not wanting the evening to end, she lingered in the ballroom watching the servants clean away the last morsels of tasty delights and carefully put the silver back into the cloth pouches. Humming and watching, she didn’t notice the King approach until He stood beside her.

“You had a good evening,” He said.

“Oh, yes! The best possible evening!” she answered.

“Now it is time to go. You must move on.”

“But why? Isn't this everything you promised! It is so beautiful here. The music may have stopped, but I can still hear it. Listen!”

He smiled down at her. “That is good. Then you can take it with you, But if you are someday to be a queen, you must know all the rooms of the palace. Come. It is time to go.”

Reluctantly she followed, but as he opened the large iron door, she gasped. All that presented itself was darkness—a thick, uninviting blackness so heavy it even smelled of darkness. “But you promised me a kingdom!” the princess exclaimed.

“I did. But you must trust me. You must pass through the Dark Hall to get there.”

“But that can’t be so! You told me that there would be a prince and children and joy and laughter. You told me that peace and happiness were to be my lot. That’s what was here in the ballroom tonight! All I want is right here. But that hall holds none of those things. It holds nothing but terror and fear.”

“This room is not the kingdom. This is only the ballroom. All I can do is tell you the way to the Kingdom and help you to get there. You must decide if you are going to trust my advice or not. Will you enter? Or do you want to stay and relive the memories as you watch the servants continue to clear away the decorations from the ball?”

It was a difficult decision, but slowly the princess forced one foot forward and entered the dark unknown.

The moral of the story? If we want to be Queens or Kings, we must remember that “The goodness of God endureth continually” (Ps. 52:1), even while we are traversing the dark halls that seem to be void of all He has promised. God knows where He is taking us and He knows which halls will lead us there.

Turn On The Good!

One of the most amazing things about this beautiful world is how much good there is in it. Any where you look you can find beauty and goodness and wonder. I know if you listen to the political talk shows or read the newspaper it sometimes convinces you otherwise, but there is so much good in life that no one is talking about or noticing and that is a shame.

There is an old story of a young girl who is afraid of the dark. Knowing this her grandmother always tucked her in bed and turned on a nightlight to keep her company while she slept. But one day the grandmother died and the young girl went to bed early crying over the loss of her grandmother. As she laid in her bed crying the dark came and added to her sorrow. Her sorrow turned into fright and she sobbed violently. “Go away dark!” she pleaded through her tears. “I don’t like you. Go away and never come back. I hate you!” But the dark just got darker and darker.

“Go away!” the girl cried again, and suddenly a deep, dark voice bellowed through the room, “You can’t fight the dark! Dark is dark and will always be dark.”

“No!” the girl cried louder and sobbed harder. “No, go away!” But as she spoke a soft, quiet voice that sounded a lot like her grandmother's whispered, “Just turn on the light.” Taking courage, the girl climbed from her bed, switched on the light,and the dark disappeared. “It is true; you can’t fight the dark,” the quiet voice whispered. “But dark can’t exist where there is light.”

Likewise when we dwell on and fight the negative things of life, we often create more negative. But when we dwell on the good and positive in life, we fill our lives with good so there is no room for the negative. So turn on the good!

The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth. (Eph. 5:9).