JOSHUA TIME 626

Parable of the Spoons


A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one
day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and
Hell are like. "
The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one
of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of
the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table
was a large pot of stew that smelled delicious and made
the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around
the table were thin and sickly.
They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons
with very long handles that were strapped to their arms
and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew
and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer
than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into
their mouths.
The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery
and suffering.
The Lord said, "You have seen Hell."
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was
exactly the same as the first one. There was the large
round table with the large pot of stew that made the holy
man's mouth water. The people were equipped with
the same long-handled spoons, but here the people
were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The holy man said, "I don't understand."
It is simple," said the Lord, "it requires but one skill.
You see, they have learned to feed each other.
While the greedy think only of themselves.
A friend is someone who reaches for your hand,
and touches your heart. People say true friends must
always hold hands, but true friends don't need to hold
hands because they know the other hand will always
be there. Thank you for your friendship in my life!