The Parable of the Grape

Jesus told some amazing parables.  This is clearly not one of his...


Once there was a head.  It was just a Head- it had no body, no arms, no legs, no feet.  It was simply a Head.  This Head felt left out in a world full of bodies.  It was often sad and quite lonely.  Day after day the Head would roll to work, roll to lunch and roll home.  Each day the Head would look longingly at the woman who worked at the desk next to his, but he could never work up the courage to speak to her- because who would want to talk to a Head?  Finally, late one night in the darkness of his bedroom, the Head could no longer contain his agony.  He cried out, "God, please help me.  I want to be different than the way you made me.  I want to be ANYTHING but a Head!"  God heard his cry, and when he looked in the mirror the next morning he was amazed to discover he was no longer just a Head.  He had transformed into a Grape.


He was thrilled.  "Now I can really do something with my life," he thought as he rolled out his front door, "because everyone loves grapes."  He decided to roll to the house of the woman from work and ask her out.  He bumped against her door until she answered.  She opened the door, but seeing as how she had legs and he did not, she looked out over the top of the Grape and did not see him.  She retreated into her home.  The Grape, however, refused to be denied.  He again rolled up against the door until she responded.  This time she opened the door, and again seeing nothing, stepped out the door to look around.  As she did, she stepped directly on our hero- and squashed him into a tiny grape flavored puddle.  The End


So many times we spend our lives wishing God had made us differently.  We want to be better looking.  We wish our personalities were different.  We want different gifts.  Pro athletes long to be musicians; musicians want to actors; all of us desire to be significant.  It is an endless cycle.  We forget the words of Psalm 8, which tell us that "God made us a little lower than the angels and placed a crown of glory and honor on our heads."  In the words of the old southern evangelists, "God don't make no junk."  I try each day to pray for God to use me just as I am- flawed in so many ways- so I may serve Him and do the things He created me to do.  Perhaps we should quit praying for God to "make us special" and simply be the people we were created to be.  Want to feel special?  You were made by God.  It doesn't get more special than that...


By the way, this parable (as most parables do) has a moral. And here it is.  Ready?  Quit while you're a head.   :)  Don't worry so much about becoming something you are not, but instead feel God's glory in your soul by being who you were created to be.  Have a blessed Sabbath and I'll see you tomorrow!


Because of Jesus,