An Allegory
by brent
Inspired by:
Dedicated to:
the Jack H in all of us
There is a distant land that isn’t that far away called the Land of Stuck. The sun rarely shines there though it does but hardly anyone notices. It rests in a deep valley beyond a high mountain. The occupants of Stuck can see the world from there if they so desire but they can never leave as long as they remain citizens of Stuck.
Deep at the furthest reach of the valley is the village, Clueless. In the village lives a man by the name, Lonely. Lonely lives with his father, Unbelief; his mother, Fear; his brother, Prideful; and his sisters, Ignorance and Melancholy. They are the Selfish family.
Lonely has a beautiful voice and late in the night he would sing a beautiful song that all the inhabitants of Clueless could hear. They marveled at the sound of his voice and credited God for giving him such a gift. His songs would lull them to sleep at night and give them peace. However, Lonely had a wound inside of him that although all could hear none could understand his words.
Lonely’s friend, Companion, advised him to inquire of Seer who lived outside of the city. Seer was a wise man who lived by the spring in the woods. Seer had invited all to come and visit him but rarely did anyone take him up on his offer. The next morning Lonely and Companion inquired of Seer. Seer listened intently as Lonely described his plight. Seer went to his cabinet to retrieve a bottle of salve. As he applied the salve to Lonely’s eyes he said, “This is the salve, Revelation, made in love by the Great King.” Once applied, Seer had Lonely go to the spring and wash his eyes. It was as if scales fell to the ground and Lonely could see the sunshine for the first time. Then Seer gave Lonely some Bread of Knowledge to eat. It was rich and full and warmth filled his soul as he ate. “What shall I do?” pleaded Lonely. “You must travel to the city, Change, at the top of the mountain,” replied Seer. “It is there that you must request help from two strong men of the city. Their names are Power and Ability. They will take you to the Great King.” “But how do I find this city,” replied Lonely. “You must stay on the road called the Way of Truth,” Seer advised. “I will go,” stated Lonely.
That night at supper Lonely began to speak of his journey with his family. They ridiculed him and tried to dissuade him from attempting such a preposterous journey. “Why, you can’t go there; no one has ever traveled to Change and come back. I hear that there is a great beast there that swallows the seeker whole,” Father Unbelief said. “Oh, yes,” replied Mother Fear, “there will be dangers that will befall you and you might die.” “Why would you want to leave here, brother Lonely,” exclaimed Sister Ignorance, “this is such a beautiful and happy place.” Melancholy slowly added, “But you are all alone and can’t do it.” Prideful just sneered and laughed, “Everyone thinks you’re crazy.” They pleaded and plotted but could not discourage Lonely for Companion kept encouraging him. No amount of explaining changed his family’s mind as to the importance of the journey. Lonely asked his family to come with him but they just made excuses as to why they couldn’t and went to bed. Lonely’s friends got wind of his journey and came to encourage him. “You can do it,” they responded, and gave advice on how to be successful, though none of them had gone the Way of Truth before. Secretly, they didn’t want him to leave Stuck for they loved his enchanted music.
Early the next morning, Lonely and Companion started their journey to the City of Change. Mother Fear made his breakfast and packed him a lunch. “You don’t know what awaits you,” she fretted, “It won’t be anything like here.” “Yes, what if you fail,” exclaimed Prideful. “Why do you listen to that crazy old man, Seer, anyway?” Father Unbelief said, “He’s delusional and doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Sister Melancholy just kept insisting her brother Lonely go back to bed. But with all that Lonely and Companion started on their way.
As they were going on the Way of Truth to the City of Change, Lonely’s friend, Habit met him. “Lonely,” he called out, “wait up! You don’t want to go just yet. You promised that we would play a game today. You can go on this journey anytime.” “Well, I did promise,” thought Lonely. “No, we must go now,” exclaimed Companion. “You must not harden your heart today.” “Please, come with me,” Habit said as he pulled on Lonely. Lonely started to follow but Companion gently nudged him onto the Way of Truth and they were off. Habit persistently called after Lonely for what seemed a very long time. Several times Lonely turned to chase after him but each time Companion took hold of his hand. Lonely thought of shaking his hand free then thought better and allowed Companion to lead him.
The first village they came to was called Difficulty. The city rested on what seemed a cliff that went straight up. At the entrance of the city Lazy and Procrastination met him and inquired about his journey. They went with them as they climbed through the city. Several times they slipped and fell but Lazy and Procrastination were no help. They just kept insisting they stop and rest. “We don’t have to move so fast,” cried Procrastination. “Yes, we can stop here and partake of the drink, Lethargy,” stated Lazy. Lonely was tempted to stop for he was very tired and recalled his family’s words. But he felt hands pull him up by his shoulder. “Hi, it looks like you can use some help,” the stranger said. Two men had helped him up and were now standing before him. “I’m Perseverance and this is my brother Patience,” explained the man. “Thank you,” replied Lonely. “I could not have done it without you.” “Where are you going?” asked Patience. “We are on the Way of Truth to the City of Change,” replied Lonely. “May we come with you?” asked Perseverance. “You don’t want to take them,” Lazy and Procrastination exclaimed, “they will hold you back and slow you down.” That is when Companion said, “I think we can trust these men, let’s not listen to Lazy and Procrastination.’ So Perseverance and Patience traveled with Lonely and Companion on their journey.
The Way of Truth winded through the country side and came up to a dark hamlet called Discouragement. The clouds were particularly dark and ominous that overshadowed the village. Everyone they came to was quiet with their head bowed. No one spoke or made eye contact. They tried to talk with the inhabitants but none would listen or say a word. As they walked, each step became harder than the one before. It was if gravity had taken on a new weight such that it was barely possible to hold your head up and not slump as you walked. They came to an old lady to request a drink of water. She gave them all a drink but the water was too bitter to swallow. She said her name was Despair and warned the travelers to turn back. Even Perseverance and Patience were faltering when two young, bright girls beckoned them to follow. Companion prompted all to go on. As they winded through the dark town in silence each step was easier than the one before. However, if they turned from the young girls they felt the pressure and the silence from the city more fiercely. As they came out from under the dark cloud, Lonely thanked them for leading them out. He introduced himself and his co-journeymen and asked, “What are your names?” They spoke simultaneously, “We are Hope and Faith. We were sent by the Great King to help you on your way.” So they traveled with them and never left their side.
The journey seemed long but they were encouraged by seeing a great peak ahead of them. They commented with each other, “Surely this in the peak that leads to the City of Change.” Once climbing over the peak they could see the great plateau before them. It was full of green pastures and flowing lakes. Little cottages dotted the landscape. The people were friendly and welcoming. They inquired of one family as they stopped to refresh themselves. “Oh, the City of Change, it is a beautiful city not too far from this place. But our village has so much to offer that none of us desire to go there. You have come to the Plateau of Complacency in the region of Good Enough. My name is Ease and my wife is Settled. Our children are Apathy and Deception” “Aren’t you curious about the City of Change? Don’t you wish to see the Great King?” replied Lonely. “We like it here; even if we don’t always have what we need it still is good enough. Doesn’t the Great King tell us to bear our cross without complaining? We believe the Great King wants us to stay here.” And at that, all the family started insisting that they stay. Seeing the commotion, three other travelers approached to inquire the reasoning. They were Heart, Desire, and Vision. Heart commented first, “If you do not wish to go, do not prevent others from going to the City of Change!” “I know the way,” Vision added. “Yes, come with us,” Desire encouraged. So they all made haste on the Way of Truth to the City of Change rejoicing as they went, each one encouraging the other.
Ease was right as they could see the city in the distance. It was not far at all. As a matter of fact, it bordered the Plateau of Complacency. Lonely thought it strange that so many lived so close yet never entered the city. At the entrance of the city sat two old men who discouraged travelers from entering. They were Arrogance and False-humility. “Don’t come here;” called Arrogance, “it’s not what you think it will be.” The other cried out, “You will have to die to enter the city! Turn back!” “You can live on this side of the gate in case you decide to return to your family someday. You have come far enough to prove yourself worthy of entering in,” exclaimed False-humility. The travelers tried to enter the gate but the old men stood in the way. And for all their frailty they had amazing strength in that Lonely could not enter in even with the help of his friends. It was then that Companion whispered in Lonely’s ear to call for the strong men. At once, Lonely called out, “Power! Ability! Are you there? Help me!” But the old men told him to be quiet. “They will not help you,” they growled. Perseverance, Hope, and Faith together encouraged Lonely to keep calling out. Lonely cried out the more intently for help from the strong men as the battle raged. Lonely felt like giving up as he remembered the words of his family but Companion prompted Heart to support Lonely and Lonely gained strength and called out all the more. The battle with the old men seemed like it would go on forever. “He will not send the strong men,” said one. “The Great King does not care about you,” said the other. “You wasted your trip! You are a fool!” they exclaimed.
At once the strong men were upon the old men and carried Lonely through the gates to the palace of the Great King. In the throne room, the Great King sat arrayed in His royal garments. To look into His eyes was pure joy. They flowed like great springs into the soul of another beckoning to come. His presence was laughter and His voice peace. All self-consciousness melted away in the memory of the Great King.
“What do you request, my son,” asked the King. “I have a wound inside of me that will not heal,” replied Lonely. “Seer told me you could heal it and make me whole.” “Seer is correct in his judgment,” stated the King, “but I’ve already healed your wound.” With that, Lonely realized that his wound was truly gone. He had been so used to it that he acted as if it was still there. “But how has this happened?” Lonely asked. “You received the friends I sent to you,” replied the King.
Inspired by:
Dedicated to:
the Jack H in all of us
There is a distant land that isn’t that far away called the Land of Stuck. The sun rarely shines there though it does but hardly anyone notices. It rests in a deep valley beyond a high mountain. The occupants of Stuck can see the world from there if they so desire but they can never leave as long as they remain citizens of Stuck.
Deep at the furthest reach of the valley is the village, Clueless. In the village lives a man by the name, Lonely. Lonely lives with his father, Unbelief; his mother, Fear; his brother, Prideful; and his sisters, Ignorance and Melancholy. They are the Selfish family.
Lonely has a beautiful voice and late in the night he would sing a beautiful song that all the inhabitants of Clueless could hear. They marveled at the sound of his voice and credited God for giving him such a gift. His songs would lull them to sleep at night and give them peace. However, Lonely had a wound inside of him that although all could hear none could understand his words.
Lonely’s friend, Companion, advised him to inquire of Seer who lived outside of the city. Seer was a wise man who lived by the spring in the woods. Seer had invited all to come and visit him but rarely did anyone take him up on his offer. The next morning Lonely and Companion inquired of Seer. Seer listened intently as Lonely described his plight. Seer went to his cabinet to retrieve a bottle of salve. As he applied the salve to Lonely’s eyes he said, “This is the salve, Revelation, made in love by the Great King.” Once applied, Seer had Lonely go to the spring and wash his eyes. It was as if scales fell to the ground and Lonely could see the sunshine for the first time. Then Seer gave Lonely some Bread of Knowledge to eat. It was rich and full and warmth filled his soul as he ate. “What shall I do?” pleaded Lonely. “You must travel to the city, Change, at the top of the mountain,” replied Seer. “It is there that you must request help from two strong men of the city. Their names are Power and Ability. They will take you to the Great King.” “But how do I find this city,” replied Lonely. “You must stay on the road called the Way of Truth,” Seer advised. “I will go,” stated Lonely.
That night at supper Lonely began to speak of his journey with his family. They ridiculed him and tried to dissuade him from attempting such a preposterous journey. “Why, you can’t go there; no one has ever traveled to Change and come back. I hear that there is a great beast there that swallows the seeker whole,” Father Unbelief said. “Oh, yes,” replied Mother Fear, “there will be dangers that will befall you and you might die.” “Why would you want to leave here, brother Lonely,” exclaimed Sister Ignorance, “this is such a beautiful and happy place.” Melancholy slowly added, “But you are all alone and can’t do it.” Prideful just sneered and laughed, “Everyone thinks you’re crazy.” They pleaded and plotted but could not discourage Lonely for Companion kept encouraging him. No amount of explaining changed his family’s mind as to the importance of the journey. Lonely asked his family to come with him but they just made excuses as to why they couldn’t and went to bed. Lonely’s friends got wind of his journey and came to encourage him. “You can do it,” they responded, and gave advice on how to be successful, though none of them had gone the Way of Truth before. Secretly, they didn’t want him to leave Stuck for they loved his enchanted music.
Early the next morning, Lonely and Companion started their journey to the City of Change. Mother Fear made his breakfast and packed him a lunch. “You don’t know what awaits you,” she fretted, “It won’t be anything like here.” “Yes, what if you fail,” exclaimed Prideful. “Why do you listen to that crazy old man, Seer, anyway?” Father Unbelief said, “He’s delusional and doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Sister Melancholy just kept insisting her brother Lonely go back to bed. But with all that Lonely and Companion started on their way.
As they were going on the Way of Truth to the City of Change, Lonely’s friend, Habit met him. “Lonely,” he called out, “wait up! You don’t want to go just yet. You promised that we would play a game today. You can go on this journey anytime.” “Well, I did promise,” thought Lonely. “No, we must go now,” exclaimed Companion. “You must not harden your heart today.” “Please, come with me,” Habit said as he pulled on Lonely. Lonely started to follow but Companion gently nudged him onto the Way of Truth and they were off. Habit persistently called after Lonely for what seemed a very long time. Several times Lonely turned to chase after him but each time Companion took hold of his hand. Lonely thought of shaking his hand free then thought better and allowed Companion to lead him.
The first village they came to was called Difficulty. The city rested on what seemed a cliff that went straight up. At the entrance of the city Lazy and Procrastination met him and inquired about his journey. They went with them as they climbed through the city. Several times they slipped and fell but Lazy and Procrastination were no help. They just kept insisting they stop and rest. “We don’t have to move so fast,” cried Procrastination. “Yes, we can stop here and partake of the drink, Lethargy,” stated Lazy. Lonely was tempted to stop for he was very tired and recalled his family’s words. But he felt hands pull him up by his shoulder. “Hi, it looks like you can use some help,” the stranger said. Two men had helped him up and were now standing before him. “I’m Perseverance and this is my brother Patience,” explained the man. “Thank you,” replied Lonely. “I could not have done it without you.” “Where are you going?” asked Patience. “We are on the Way of Truth to the City of Change,” replied Lonely. “May we come with you?” asked Perseverance. “You don’t want to take them,” Lazy and Procrastination exclaimed, “they will hold you back and slow you down.” That is when Companion said, “I think we can trust these men, let’s not listen to Lazy and Procrastination.’ So Perseverance and Patience traveled with Lonely and Companion on their journey.
The Way of Truth winded through the country side and came up to a dark hamlet called Discouragement. The clouds were particularly dark and ominous that overshadowed the village. Everyone they came to was quiet with their head bowed. No one spoke or made eye contact. They tried to talk with the inhabitants but none would listen or say a word. As they walked, each step became harder than the one before. It was if gravity had taken on a new weight such that it was barely possible to hold your head up and not slump as you walked. They came to an old lady to request a drink of water. She gave them all a drink but the water was too bitter to swallow. She said her name was Despair and warned the travelers to turn back. Even Perseverance and Patience were faltering when two young, bright girls beckoned them to follow. Companion prompted all to go on. As they winded through the dark town in silence each step was easier than the one before. However, if they turned from the young girls they felt the pressure and the silence from the city more fiercely. As they came out from under the dark cloud, Lonely thanked them for leading them out. He introduced himself and his co-journeymen and asked, “What are your names?” They spoke simultaneously, “We are Hope and Faith. We were sent by the Great King to help you on your way.” So they traveled with them and never left their side.
The journey seemed long but they were encouraged by seeing a great peak ahead of them. They commented with each other, “Surely this in the peak that leads to the City of Change.” Once climbing over the peak they could see the great plateau before them. It was full of green pastures and flowing lakes. Little cottages dotted the landscape. The people were friendly and welcoming. They inquired of one family as they stopped to refresh themselves. “Oh, the City of Change, it is a beautiful city not too far from this place. But our village has so much to offer that none of us desire to go there. You have come to the Plateau of Complacency in the region of Good Enough. My name is Ease and my wife is Settled. Our children are Apathy and Deception” “Aren’t you curious about the City of Change? Don’t you wish to see the Great King?” replied Lonely. “We like it here; even if we don’t always have what we need it still is good enough. Doesn’t the Great King tell us to bear our cross without complaining? We believe the Great King wants us to stay here.” And at that, all the family started insisting that they stay. Seeing the commotion, three other travelers approached to inquire the reasoning. They were Heart, Desire, and Vision. Heart commented first, “If you do not wish to go, do not prevent others from going to the City of Change!” “I know the way,” Vision added. “Yes, come with us,” Desire encouraged. So they all made haste on the Way of Truth to the City of Change rejoicing as they went, each one encouraging the other.
Ease was right as they could see the city in the distance. It was not far at all. As a matter of fact, it bordered the Plateau of Complacency. Lonely thought it strange that so many lived so close yet never entered the city. At the entrance of the city sat two old men who discouraged travelers from entering. They were Arrogance and False-humility. “Don’t come here;” called Arrogance, “it’s not what you think it will be.” The other cried out, “You will have to die to enter the city! Turn back!” “You can live on this side of the gate in case you decide to return to your family someday. You have come far enough to prove yourself worthy of entering in,” exclaimed False-humility. The travelers tried to enter the gate but the old men stood in the way. And for all their frailty they had amazing strength in that Lonely could not enter in even with the help of his friends. It was then that Companion whispered in Lonely’s ear to call for the strong men. At once, Lonely called out, “Power! Ability! Are you there? Help me!” But the old men told him to be quiet. “They will not help you,” they growled. Perseverance, Hope, and Faith together encouraged Lonely to keep calling out. Lonely cried out the more intently for help from the strong men as the battle raged. Lonely felt like giving up as he remembered the words of his family but Companion prompted Heart to support Lonely and Lonely gained strength and called out all the more. The battle with the old men seemed like it would go on forever. “He will not send the strong men,” said one. “The Great King does not care about you,” said the other. “You wasted your trip! You are a fool!” they exclaimed.
At once the strong men were upon the old men and carried Lonely through the gates to the palace of the Great King. In the throne room, the Great King sat arrayed in His royal garments. To look into His eyes was pure joy. They flowed like great springs into the soul of another beckoning to come. His presence was laughter and His voice peace. All self-consciousness melted away in the memory of the Great King.
“What do you request, my son,” asked the King. “I have a wound inside of me that will not heal,” replied Lonely. “Seer told me you could heal it and make me whole.” “Seer is correct in his judgment,” stated the King, “but I’ve already healed your wound.” With that, Lonely realized that his wound was truly gone. He had been so used to it that he acted as if it was still there. “But how has this happened?” Lonely asked. “You received the friends I sent to you,” replied the King.
posted by brent at 10:33 PM
2 Comments:
Took awhile to get through it, but it was pretty good. I'm impressed.
What are you using the allegory for? Anything? Or are you just hoping people will read it on here?
It's something that was pressed on my mind by a comment Jack H made. As much as we long for change, it seems that everything within us fights it. Change really only comes by the power of God's grace. He reveals the need for it and then provides the way.
I submitted it to my church's publication but know it is way too long. I'm unsure how to shorten it.
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