A Parable

The lesson Sunday in RS was a simple one - "Stay in the Boat."  Class divided into four groups, each  to develop a parable-like story to illustrate an assigned situation.   The only catch was we were to use items displayed on the table to tell our story, which included several styles and sizes of life jackets, a coiled rope, sun screen, sun glasses, and a toy boat filled with bobbing toy people.

The groups gathered and laughter ensued.  It was a fun way to explore different ideas.  After several minutes of the laughter and camaraderie,  however, the instructor returned to the podium and asked for our attention.  The groups of giggling discussion started to quiet,  pause and listen.

"Now," she said calmly, "I'd like you to take a break and just imagine with me.  Imagine that into our room the Savior has just come."  She paused a few seconds before continuing. "He is walking across the back of the room and now coming to the front of the class to sit among us."

The room became subdued.  Quiet.  Reverenced.
 

The instructor lovingly continued, "Now, with that thought in mind, I want you to continue your discussion as though the Savior is going to hear your parable."

Discussion in the room resumed, but there was a subdued tone.   Yes, there was still laughter and joy in the conversation, but it took a decidedly softer turn.   We felt as though the Savior was, indeed, in the room with us at that moment.

Our group reported about our parable, but it didn't stop there in my mind.  As I've continued to think about the lesson, I've thought additional thoughts and ideas, and feel a need to pen them.  This, then, is a parable of this boat and this lake I am thinking of:

One day, a small group of women boarded a rather large boat on a rather larger lake to spend the day enjoying nature together.  Each woman wore a life jacket which she had personally and painstakingly handcrafted herself.   Some were very simple, with little buoyancy for their wearers were just learning how to create their personal life jackets.  Others were elaborate with many embellishments and thick padding to sustain the wearer in the deepest of waters.  They were constructed from many styles and colors of material.   However, as different as they were, all the jackets would provide some form of a safety net if for some reason the wearer was thrown into the depths of the sea.  Sunscreen would guard them against harmful sun rays and sunglasses would protect their eyes from the glare of the lake.

It was a beautiful morning and the women sat back in the boat, enjoying the scenery.  The waves lapped at the side of the boat, gently rocking the occupants who laughed and joked their way out into the wide expanse of the lake.  As they sailed further from the shore, however, a wind came up and the waters grew rough.  The gentle rocking became less gentle and a storm brewed up on the horizon. The women turned the boat back toward the safety of the shore as quickly as they could.   They held tight to each other as dark clouds blossomed around them and lightning streaked with a boom that shook the air.  Then rains came in heavy sheets pushing the boat away from the safety of the shore they were so desperately trying to reach.

In the midst of the storm, one passenger became aware of a human cry carrying faintly across the rough waters.   "Help me," she thought she heard.   She got the attention of the others and together they searched the darkened lake for the source of the cries.  "There she is!" another boater pointed out into the deluge.  In the direction she pointed, barely discernible, was the head of a lone swimmer being tossed by the waves. 

They managed to guide the boat alongside the swimmer and throw her a rope to be pulled into the safety of the boat.  Nearly drowned, the swimmer was chilled and shivering. Several of the women rummaged through their supplies searching for something to warm her.  But they had little extra to offer.  There were no spare life jackets, for each had constructed their own personal one.  There were no blankets because the day had promised to be a warm one.  In an effort to warm the swimmer, a few of the woman surrounded her to share their own body heat.  They linked arms to provide a barricade against the wind which was now raging and provide shelter as best as they could from the cold rain pummeling them.  And their combined strength helped strengthen the weakened swimmer.

However, not all helped.   One wearing a sparse life jacket barely holding together began to complain.  "We will all drown for sure," she asserted. "Instead of holding our course, look how much time we lost rescuing that woman."

Another boater, also wearing a very thin vest, agreed, "And now she's weighing us down and for sure we will never make it to the shore," she moaned, and the complainers moved away from the other women, determined not to give aid to one they declared had brought on the calamity by her own careless actions and was now placing them all at risk.

The storm continued to roar around them with waves so strong they threatened to capsize the boat, tossing all the inhabitants into the roiling waters.  The women grabbed the rope and threaded it through their arms to help hold onto each other, but try as hard as they could, they could not convince the two complainers to join them.  And the storm raged on, increasing in intensity, lashing at them seemingly from all directions.

From the center of the group, the rescued swimmer started begging the others to put in a call for help.  "I know a person on shore who can rescue us from this," she claimed.   A call was placed, the promise of help ensured.  But just as the hope of rescue spread through the group, a very strong gust of wind crashed the boat sideways, sending all the inhabitants flying into the stormy waters.  

It was chaos at first, but the life jackets helped the women make it to the surface of the waters.  They reached out for each other and held tight to the swimmer who had no life jacket.  Counting numbers they realized there were two missing.  They could not find the two women who had been complaining.   It became apparent their jackets had not been sufficient to keep them above water in such a storm.

"I will search for them," the swimmer shouted above the roar of the storm.  When others protested, she said, "I can do this. I've regained my strength," and she dove down into the depths looking for the missing women.  Soon she came to the surface with one of the women gasping and grabbing frantically for a handhold in the air.  The women were able to calm her and support her above the rolling waves as the swimmer dove again, looking for the other missing woman.   After an immeasurably long time, she finally surfaced again, gasping for air and pulling the heavy body of the other woman with her.  Just as she surfaced the sound of a helicopter could be heard above the din of the storm and a light pierced the rain illuminating the women in the water.  One by one they were pulled from the sea until all were safely on board the helicopter and on way to the shore.

It was many days before the final woman rescued by the swimmer was able to recover from her near drowning.  As she convalesced, she began expanding her life jacket, adding more and more padding each day.  Other women from the boat visited with her and taught her how to make it fuller and more buoyant.

A year later the same women met on the shores of the lake to board a boat once again.  Each was decked out in her personal life jacket, but each had been changed and was different from the year before.   Superfluous attachments and embellishments had been discarded. All had increased their buoyancy fill.   And as they waited on shore, they saw coming towards them one more woman.  It was the swimmer they had rescued the year before and she was joining them on this day.   And she was wearing the strongest, largest, most buoyant life jacket of all.