Let’s start with the definition of a parable. It’s often allegorical and seemingly simple. However, the purpose of the story is to teach lessons – moral, faith based, spiritual and scholastic types. Jesus was known for teaching in parables (he taught 46 of them!) and there are many examples of them in the Bible’s Gospels.
In case you didn’t know, there are four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These, of course are the first books, in order, in the New Testament.
Parable stories like the following are lovely:
Three men were walking on a wall—Feeling, Faith, and Fact; When Feeling took an awful fall and Faith was taken back; So close was Faith to Feeling, he stumbled and fell, too; But Fact remained and pulled Faith back, and Faith brought Feeling, too.
However, I like my version better:
A group of 3—Love, Free Will and Imagination—were crossing an old, rickety bridge in search of a Great Adventure. Imagination, whose mind tended to wander, forgot the perils of crossing the bridge. At the halfway point, Imagination looked down and around the bridge. Thoughts went errant. Imagination tripped over Fear who just happened to appear at the most inconvenient time.In the panic, Free Will was pushed aside, through the slates of the bridge.
There Free Will stayed, trapped and unable to move; after Imagination was stunned, it had no way to help itself—a never-ending cycle of Fear grew until Attitude came from the opposite site of the bridge, blocking the path and setting a complacent prison around Free Will. Watching the scene unfold, Love unfurled her children (Faith and Hope) from her arms and let them work: Attitude never saw her coming; Hope, cute and sprite as always, roundhouse kicked
Attitude in the face, sending Attitude over the bridge. Fear backed away from Faith and left the bridge in a hurry, as bullies tend to do when challenged. All the while Love set free Imagination and Free Will. Together, the group of now 5, crossed the bridge to discover their Great Adventure.
The End
Which one do you prefer? Say mine! Leave a comment below. I’d love to read others’ parables!
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