Parable
of the long spoons
One day a man said to God,” I would like to know what heaven and hell
are like”.
God showed the man two doors.
Inside the first one, in the middle of the room, was a large round table
with a large pot of stew. It smelled delicious and made the man’s mouth water,
but the people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to
be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it impossible
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 man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. God said,” You
have seen hell.”
Behind the second door, the room appeared exactly the same. There was
the large round table with the large pot of wonderful stew that made the man’s
mouth water. The people had the same long handled spoons, but they were well
nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The man said, “I don’t understand.”
God smiled. “It’s simple,” He continued, “Love only requires one skill. These
people learned early to share and feed one another. Those who are hungry are
greedy people, and they think only of themselves….”
