Rainbow Books

Margaret Litchfield (Marianne Christian), RIP 2015

A MODERN PARABLE

Once there was a father who had many children but one son who was especially dear to him.
He found it hard to refuse his son anything but, being a wise father, never allowed his young son to have anything that would harm him or cause him any unhappiness.
By the time the son became a young man, he loved his father dearly and appreciated his wisdom, yet believed he was old enough to make his own decisions.
His father had a magnificent car that went faster than any other vehicle in the land and the son pleaded with his father to be allowed to drive it.
"My son, you've had no experience of driving such a car. It has more power than you will be able to control. Also, as you know, it is one of my most treasured possessions. I would hate to see it damaged in any way."
"Father," the young man said eagerly. "Let me borrow it. I promise you that it will come to no harm. I give you my solemn word."
The father was reluctant but the dearly-loved son finally persuaded him.
The young man drove away joyfully. Not only was he at the wheel of the best car in the land, but he felt a new freedom. He was truly a man in his own right now.
Within a few days, news came to the father. His son had had an accident: the car had skidded on some ice, overturned, and crashed into a rock bank.
"Your car is beyond repair." The father was pale with shock.
"My son... ?" he whispered.
"Oh, he has been very lucky. He has some minor injuries, but they will heal."
"Thank God!"
The father waited impatiently for his son to return. He wanted to see for himself that he was not too badly injured.
But the days passed and he heard nothing. He tried to contact his son but it was if the lad was avoiding him. At last he had to accept the unbelievable: his son had no intention of returning home.
"Does he think that I am angry with him for crashing the car? Doesn't he know that I forgive him? Will you tell him, and ask him to come to me?"
But although the father sent many messages, the son did not respond. He went away and made a new life for himself far from home.
Years went by. Eventually, when the father was very old and close to death, he sent one of his other children to summon the far off son.
"You must come," his brother pleaded. "Our father is hanging on to life until he sees you again."
The son could not stay away any longer and travelled many miles to his father's side.
The old man held out his arms to his son, who could not resist the plea in his eyes. They clung together and wept.
"Why did you stay away so long?"
"l did not deserve to see you again. I made you a promise and broke it. It would not have been right to allow myself the joy of being in your presence again."
"Oh foolish son! Didn't you know me better than that? And didn't you realise that you were punishing me too? Oh, my son, all these wasted years'
The son looked at the sorrow on his father's face and realised too late what he had done. He had his family? He had failed his father, yes, but he had added to his original fault a thousand times over by not trusting in his love and forgiveness.
"l thought of you all the time," he confessed.
remembered what life was like when I had your full love."
"My son, you never lost it, not for one moment," his father told him. "You have stayed in my heart and mind all these years. I have done what I could for you, from a distance, but it would have been much easier if we could have talked together like we used to."
Then the son remembered all the times when he had
longed for his father's help and advice: in times of financial difficulty; in sickness; troubles in friendships and relationships; important decisions he had to make; changed circumstances.. He had acted alone, made many mistakes, but had always tried to do what he thought his father would have wished. Somehow, most things had worked out well.
"You have been helping me," he now realised. "All those times in my life when everything seemed to fall into place just as they needed to... It was You all along!"
"Now it is I who have to leave you," the old man said sadly. "But know once and for all, my son, that whatever you do, wherever you go, I will be able to see you and I will never stop loving you. Call to me and I will hear you."
"l want to come with you."
"Not now. Not yet. But, if you trust me and never stop believing in my love for you, one day we shall live together in the Kingdom of Love."
And the son finally believed and trusted his father, and so it came to be.


Margaret Litchfield
Rainbow End