My First Parable

Martin saw the hill first. He turned on his skis away from the others. Chad tried to stop him, but Martin pushed past him.

“Mart, we’re supposed to stay on the marked trails. You know that,” Chad called after him as he raced for the hill.

“”What are you so afraid of?” Martin called back, whooshing over the crest of the hill.

Chad and Barry watched as Martin descended the slope of fresh snow. He was halfway down the hill and picking up speed when it happened. The snow at the top of the hill let go, blasting down the hill. The boys helplessly watched as the great wall of snow got closer and closer to their friend. They tried to keep their eyes on him but the white cloud soon enveloped him, pushing him down the hill. The mountain let go again as more snow rushed down to cover Martin and the first load of snow. It was done in five minutes but it felt like an hour since Martin had made his descent.

The two boys rushed down the marked trail and tried to trek through the trees to the avalanche of snow to find Martin. Jagged rocks tore at their skis and clothing as they stumbled through the woods. There was no sign of Martin when the cloud settled. They saw a break in the trees. Skiing toward it they saw sheets of snow were still falling and realized the hill ended at a cliff. The fall had to be twenty feet. Dread set in when they realized Martin was at the bottom of that cliff. Chad radioed for help. They’d need a helicopter to reach Martin. The hope that he was still alive and okay was fading quickly.

Moral: They who act without sufficient thought will often fall into unsuspecting danger

Lesson 3 Assignment 2

I haven’t read many parable before taking this class, so the ones I know came from my readings to prepare to write this parable. I read a story called the Lost Axe, which I thought was a very good one for its simplicity and its teachings. It was about a farmer who lost his axe. He blamed his neighbor’s son for stealing it. He suspected him because of the way he walked, the way he looked, etc. Later he found the axe in his cellar as he cleaned it. The next time he saw the boy he saw nothing in his actions that made him suspicious of him any longer. The moral of the story is that sometimes the “facts” are in the eye of the beholder. I like this story because I think it is a lesson that everyone needs to be aware of… and sometimes reminded of on a regular basis. We tend to judge people on the way they look if we do not actually know them. Hence, when something goes wrong or, for instance, a crime is committed, we point the finger at someone who “looks like they did it” or were capable of committing the crime.