The Price - A parable
This is a parable that I wrote a few months back. I’m reposting it because I read it last night at Make Art or Die - Story during my presentation. I’m going to be posting parts of that talk in the coming days.
Thanks for reading.
A beautiful and gracious young woman happened upon a disabled young man begging for alms in the gutter of the town square. She looked on him with compassion and took him into her house to care for him. She would take him on daily walks throughout the streets of the town allowing him to lean heavily on her for support.
As the weeks and months went by it became apparent to everyone who saw them together that she loved him deeply. There was no discernable improvement in the young man’s condition and, in fact, the young woman started to show signs of physical deterioration herself. Soon enough, the daily walks became weekly and eventually abated altogether. The people in the town rarely saw them out and about for she was no longer able to carry them both.
Rumors and questions about the young couple began to surface among the townsfolk. “What could she possibly see in him or gain from taking him in and loving him? She has ruined her beautiful form and instead of helping him out of his stupor she has brought his lowly state onto herself.”
These events disturbed the sensibilities of the town so much that a vocal group decided they would confront the madness of the woman. As the crowd drew near to the couple’s dwelling they began to loudly voice the questions they had been whispering earlier. They saw the door open slowly and the young couple standing together clutching one another.
The woman looked on the crowd with pity and said to them, “We have heard your grumblings so let us answer you now. I have not loved him in spite of his brokenness. I have loved him because of it, for that is where the Creator dwells. A great joy is found when I invest in weakness.”
The townsfolk left bewildered.
