Thinking About Parable

 As a team we recently read some parables created by a great woman of faith, Lillias Trotter.  (If you’d like to read some of her parables or learn more about her click here: Lillias Trotter

Arriving at retreat center

Lillias Trotter was writing to a different culture nearly a hundred years ago.  So, although the parables may not connect with us the way they might have connected to her target audience, it still got us thinking in new ways about the good news. The good news has infinite facets to connect to human hearts and address the equally infinite problems and needs we face.

It got us to thinking about what sorts of parables might speak to islanders.  Here is one we’ve been thinking about.  It is as of yet untested.  The time and place to use such a parable is as much a consideration as the parable itself.  But, perhaps, reading this parable will give you insights into island hearts, and maybe into your own heart as well.

The Parable of the 2 Phones:

What is the Kingdom of God like?  What can I compare it to?

    There once was a man who had two children, a boy and a girl, whom he loved very much.  When they were old enough, he sent them to school.  The school was far from their home so he gave them each a phone so that they could be in contact with him whenever they wanted.    

    The children thanked their father and went off to school.  At school the son, who was very obedient made a decision.  “Father gave me this phone.  I will charge it everyday, and I will always make sure it has enough credit.  In fact, I will put credit on it every day.  In fact,” he thought, “I will put credit on my phone 5 times a day!”  Then I will have so much credit on my phone.  Father will be so happy.” So every day the son kept the phone clean, charged and full of credit!  He put credit on 5 times a day!  His phone was full of credit!

Enjoying nature

  His sister was different.  Sometimes she forgot to charge her phone or to put credit on it.  But she loved to talk to her father, and nearly every day (except when she forgot to put credit on it), she would talk to her father.  This made her father very happy. Her father also told her many things. One day he told her.  “I have prepared a beautiful room for you.  Go to such and such a place and you will find a key.  Take the key and don’t lose it.”  The daughter did just as her father told her.
    Finally the children returned home from school.  There was their father, so happy to see them.  “Oh, my daughter,” the Father said, “It is so good to see you.  But I feel like I saw you yesterday because we talk so often,” he said laughing. “Do you have the key?”
“Yes Father,” she said, and went and opened the door to her beautiful new room.
    Then the son came to his Father and said, “Father, look.  Here is my phone, fully charged and full of credit—thousands of hours of credit!”
    “My son,” said the father, “Do you have the key?”
    “What key?” asked the son.
    “The key to your new room.  It is a truly wonderful room, but we haven’t spoken, and so I could not tell you how to find the key.   My son, you have been very foolish.  The phone, the charging, the credit is wasted, because you did not use the phone to call me.  You have wasted the gift I gave to you.  For the gift was not the phone, but my love.  You did not use the phone to speak with me and so all of your credit is worthless and now you will have to sleep outside on the ground.”  And the son wept bitterly for his foolishness.

Our island house without roof

PRAYERS ANSWERED


Thank you for praying for our daughter.  After a week of pain, she seems to be feeling better this week.  Our travels went smoothly and we are now at the retreat center.  We are so thankful for all the family and friends we’ve been able to spend time with this past week.  Two of our island sisters who have been having some serious health issues have learned that in neither case is it cancer and both have treatable conditions.  Rejoice with us in this positive diagnosis.


PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our team mate on the medical team will be moving into her new house next week.  The work on our house has started.  The ceilings/roof over our bedrooms have been completely removed.  Pray that the work will continue and that we will have a new roof on our house when we get back to the islands in September.  Pray that this time at the retreat center will be beneficial for our family—for our ability to rest, reflect, debrief and grow.  Pray that parables and other creative ways would help us to share the good news in ways that would touch the hearts of islanders.