During Jesus’ time on earth, He loved using profound parables to teach important lessons. Modern day parables have the same foundational idea. So what is a parable? It is a story that is easy to understand that has a much more important meaning.
These 10 modern day parables seem like simple stories at first but they all teach us an incredible lesson about our hearts and the goodness of our God. Like many inspiring movies and books, this short story may be fictional. However, the impact that this work will have on its readers is very real. We really hope you love them as much as we do!
Every day a homeless man named Howard stood outside of a gas station convenience store. Holding a pencil and a shoe box Howard would say 'Hello, what's your name?" to just about everyone who walked into the convenience store. Day after day he was ignored until one day a very busy man finally stopped to say "Hello, my name is Jim." Their interaction was brief but sweet. And weeks later when Jim pulled up to that same gas station he was horrified to hear Howard had been struck by a car and killed. The paramedics handed Jim the one thing Howard cherished, his shoe box.
Click here to find out what was inside and the power a little kindness can hold.
One day a very wealthy father took his son on a trip to the country for the sole purpose of showing his son how it was to be poor. They spent a few days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. After their return from the trip, the father asked his son how he liked the trip. "It was great, Dad," the son replied.
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"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked. "Oh Yeah," said the son. "So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
Click here to hear how this young boy's words reminded his father of what wealth really is.
When a deadly flu was taking over the country it seemed like nothing at first. That was until suddenly people were dying just days after finding out they were infected. The only chance at a cure was the blood of someone who had not been infected. Families everywhere went to their local hospitals to get tested hoping for a cure. That was when it turned out that the one person who held the answer was a little boy. His parents assumed the doctors would only need some of his blood. But it was then that they were told they would need, all of the boy's blood. They were asking these shocked parents to sacrifice their son for total strangers.
Click here to find out what they did and the powerful lesson their decision holds.
A father takes his son into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm.
The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!
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Finally, after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.
To hear what stunned the young man when his eyes were finally opened click here.
“A lady went to her Pastor and said ‘Pastor, I won’t be going to your church anymore.’
The Pastor responded ‘But why?’
The lady said ‘Ah! I saw a woman gossipping [sic] about another member; a man that is a hypocrite; the worship team living wrong; people looking at their phone during service; among so many other things wrong in your church.’
The Pastor replied ‘OK. But before you go, do me a favor: take a full glass of water and walk around the church three times without spilling a drop on the ground. Afterwards, leave the church if you desire.’
The lady thought: too easy! She walked three times around the church as the Pastor had asked. When she finished she told the Pastor she was ready to leave.
The Pastor said, ‘Before you leave I want to ask you one more question.
Click here to see how that question changed the woman's heart.
There was a rich merchant who had four wives. He loved the fourth wife the most, adorning her with rich robes and treating her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
The merchant also loved the third wife very much. He was very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, the merchant lived in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
He, too, loved his second wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and, in fact, is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his second wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.
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Now, the merchant's first wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have four wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be.”
So he asked his wives "Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"
To hear what each wife said and to hear the lesson we all need to remember, click here.
In a mother's womb were two babies. One asked the other: ‘Do you believe in life after delivery?’
The other replied, ‘Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.’
‘Nonsense’ said the first. ‘There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?’
The second said, ‘I don't know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can't understand now.’
The first replied, ‘That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.’
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The second insisted, ‘Well I think there is something and maybe it's different than it is here. Maybe we won't need this physical cord anymore.’
The first replied, ‘Nonsense. And moreover, if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.’
‘Well, I don't know,’ said the second, ‘but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.’
The first replied ‘Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That's laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?’
To hear the second baby's powerful response click here.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband’s employer’s home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.
He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man’s face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
Click here to see what this rich man had to say about a simple penny.
Having four visiting family members, my wife was very busy, so I offered to go to the store for her to get some needed items, which included light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags, detergent and Clorox. So off I went. I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies and headed for the checkout counter, only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man who appeared to be about sixteen-years-old. I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there. This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud voice, "Mommy, I'm over here."
It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged and also startled as he turned and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His eyes widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said, "Hey Buddy, what's your name?"
"My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother," he responded proudly.
"Wow," I said, "that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Steve."
"Steve, like Stevarino?" he asked. "Yes," I answered."How old are you Denny?"
"How old am I now, Mommy?" he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle.
"You're fifteen-years-old Denny; now be a good boy and let the man pass by."
I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles and school. I watched his brown eyes dance with excitement, because he was the center of someone's attention. He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section.
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Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him, much less talk to him. I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something I have no idea where it came from, other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I told her that Denny was a blue rose.
To find out the beautiful meaning behind that term click here.
The crankiest old man in the entire nursing home had passed away. He was the one the nurses fought over having to take care of. They knew he was going to make their job virtually impossible. But as they were cleaning out his things they found this poem, and their hearts sunk.
What do you see nurses? What do you see?
What are you thinking, when you look at me?
A cranky old man, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit, with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food and makes no reply.
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When you say in a loud voice, “I do wish you’d try!”
Who seems not to notice, the things that you do.
And forever is losing… a sock or a shoe?
Who, resisting or not lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill?
Is that what you’re thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open you eyes, nurse. You’re not looking at me.
I’ll tell you who I am, as I sit here so still,
To hear who this 'cranky' man really was, click here.
These simple stories open our eyes to the ways that God is in our life every single day. Who else felt so inspired by these stories?
If you want to hear more about the lessons the parables of the Bible held enjoy this wonderful message from Pastor Colin Smith.
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Featured Image Credit: Thinkstock & Getty Images
This story is part of a series of inspirational stories designed to uplift your day and show you God’s hand at work in the world. Here are some other articles in this series that we hope you'll enjoy!
