Paul's Parable

1 Kings 19:11-12, “So He said (to Elijah), ‘Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.”

Paul, a regular attendee at Iwo Jima, told the group a parable in our last meeting. Well not a parable exactly as it was his experience, but so much like a parable Christ would share with His followers or God with Elijah in the passage above.

He said that one afternoon he took his Bible and went to the Houston Baptist University campus. I guess looking for a time of prayer of reflection he sat on one of the many benches found around campus. This one had a wonderful view of a pond. The pond was surrounded by tall grasses, blooming blue bonnets and other wild flowers. The grasses long and ornamental in his opinion swayed gently in the afternoon breeze. As he marveled at the beauty that only God can create along came a couple of maintenance workers equipped with industrial gas powered weed eaters. I can imagine how Paul’s peaceful moment was disrupted with the whine of small gas engines. How his views were obstructed by the distinct blue smoke that puffs from yard equipments. Each worker going in opposite directions they start their task on the opposite side of the pond working their way each to him from opposite directions.

Paul thought surely they won’t cut such beautiful grass. As quickly as the thought came one worker expeditiously dispatched the grass that to Paul was perfect. The other, a little clumsy hacked at his side of the pond.

And so Paul thought again, surely they will leave the blue bonnets and flowers. But again his thoughts were in vain as the workers indiscriminately chewed all that was beautiful to shreds. The only thing left that no worker could destroy was that gentle afternoon breeze. A breeze that seems to pick up slightly as the men whacked and hacked their way around the pond.

As the more adept of the two workers made his way to come directly in front of Paul he slipped on a slope covered in leaves almost finding himself in the pond. Looking up a Paul their eyes connected and they shared a laugh.

It was then Paul realized. The workers are not there because they want to. They are killing flowers because an institution demanded it. With this realization God spoke. Paul understood that God was there. He was not in the flower killers. He was not in the creation. He was not in the institution though it was built for Him. God on that day was in the gentle afternoon breeze.

No matter what is going on, God is there. We only have to become aware.