Childrens Parables: A Story of Faith Every time I tell this story, I am reminded of the words of my Savior, “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20 Long ago in a village once beautiful and happy, now filled with the horrors that come with war and greed, there lived a little boy and his family. Damien was just a baby during the Great War, when the wicked king enslaved the citizens of the village and commanded a list of his new decrees to be nailed to the doors of the town hall. These decrees went against everything their Lord had taught them, yet if any disobeyed they were to be executed as a warning to the others. Many martyrs were glorified that day and for many months after. However, as the years wore on, the faith of many waxed dim. Damien had always been taught to fear no man, but to trust in his God. While the other villagers lived in fear of the wicked king, Damien and his family lived as candles in a dark room. The other villagers avoided them and couldn’t understand why they would risk their lives for a King who had deserted them all. Damien’s faith was rooted in the words of his King, so that no manner of ‘logic’ could dissuade him from his faith in God. Though only eight years old, he would rather be a martyr for his King, than be a ‘hero’ amongst his play fellows. Often when passing through the village, the boys and girls would throw things at him, calling him names, laughing at him, and making fun of his God. He would stop, turn to the cruel children and calmly say, “This king whom you bow before is but mere flesh and blood and will surely die when his life is required of God. The King who I serve and ye have scorned, has neither beginning of days or end. He is neither flesh or blood, but a Being of immense power and knowledge. He cannot die, though men may rise and fall, He will never be destroyed! You are as foolish to fear your mortal king, as he is to believe he has destroyed the King of kings. Have you never considered the destruction of our village was because God wished to punish some sin that had crept in among us? Yet we have instead blamed Him for deserting us, and lo, it is we who have deserted Him! In times of peace we sought our King yet now will we forget Him? We had become too comfortable in our wealth and we began to glorify our own good works. Our Lord brought us warnings through His traveling priests and strong warriors, yet we would not hear. Now must we turn away from our sins and seek our Lord’s face! We must rise against this Tyrant, who has placed himself in the seat of our King and destroy him with whatever we have! Join your voices with the martyrs who have gone before us and raise your arms in unison with the King’s warriors!” The children opened their mouths in astonishment at his words, but having weakened minds they laughed him to scorn and chased him out of town. A few months had passed, when a famine ravished the little village. The stronger villagers took from others what little they had, preying on the weaknesses of the the young, old, and sick. Damien and his family had seen their crops fail and their storage deplete before their eyes. Many days the parents went without food so that the children and grandparents could eat. Damien’s father had been into town, but there was no food there or in any of the surrounding towns. Damien’s mother was told by one of the old croons that even if there had been plenty of food, no one would share with or sell to “those crazy Christians.” The family spent many days hunting and every night praying. Damien was sent to the village for some fire wood, so he picked up his nap sack and into town he went. He was whistling an old hymn when some villagers began to rail at him. “Is this how your God repays you for your service to Him? What sin is He trying to punish you for? Do you still cling to your faith? Why hasn’t He provided food for you?” Damien smiled and replied, “If you had bothered to study before you presented your accusations, you would have read bad things are not always punishments from God, but trials of faith. My King only looks for the best to be His warriors and children, thus He allows trials to prove us to see if we will triumph. The scriptures say we must not worry about food for He will provide. He say, “ask without doubt and ye shall certainly receive it!” Once again they were surprised, yet because of lack of any faith they could not understand. One morning, after a long evening of prayer, Damien discovered an abundance of food left upon their doorstep. Their was an immediate giving of thanks. Having put aside some food for themselves, the entire family carried the rest into the village. The villagers were stunned by such kindness, though they did not understand the reasoning. Damien’s father took this opportunity to speak unto them. Some of the villagers called the Christians fools, but many stayed to hear the message. “I call all of you to remember the days when our Lord and King took care of us! He provided for us and fought our battles. Today He has reminded us of His grace. Will we, as those thousands, only eat of the miracle, or will we, like the disciples follow Him? Will we continue to cower before a tyrant who is but a weak and mortal man? Or will we fight alongside a King who is strong and powerful? What sayeth His word? “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.”‘ The villagers were so touched by the message, they repented of their sins. As you probably have figured already, the entire village banned together with the surrounding villages and overthrew the wicked king. Their true King returned and little Damien’s faith was spoken of throughout every village. I was honored to have met Damien, though he was much older by then and one of the King’s strong warriors. So, dear readers, what does faith mean to you? Is it standing up for what you believe in even when you are persecuted? Is it trusting in God when their seems like nothing is possible? What is Faith? apieceofmyirishmind.blogspot/2014/06/a-story-of-faith.html
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 20:49:40 +0000
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