Jesus often taught in parables.  Sometimes He explained the meaning in detail.  Sometimes the meaning was so obvious it didn’t need an explanation.  On other occasions, he allowed his listeners time to figure out the parable’s meaning on their own.  With that in mind, I’d like to tell you a true story.

Over 70 years ago, an eight-year-old girl in my home church died a sudden, tragic death.  Naturally, everyone was deeply grieved, but the child’s mother would not be consoled.  For years she mourned almost uncontrollably.  The little girl’s favorite hymn was, I Come to the Garden Alone.  Following her daughter’s death, every time that song was sung, the mother would burst out sobbing and exit the service in a melodramatic fashion.

The girl’s grandmother, whom we will refer to as “Grandmother Ford,” was also understandably distraught.  She grieved, not just from losing a beloved granddaughter, but she hurt for her daughter, who was overwhelmed with such heartache. One evening when the church building was empty, Grandmother Ford went through the sanctuary and ripped out the page that contained I Come to the Garden Alone from every hymnal.  She was determined that song would never be sung again in her church.

Everyone in the congregation soon learned what happened.  But no one dared say anything lest they appear insensitive and uncaring.  It was not discussed openly…just whispered about for years.  No one wanted to offend Grandmother Ford or dredge up such painful emotions.  Twenty years later, page 77 (as well as page 78) was still missing from the hymnal, and the story of Grandmother Ford’s actions had become notorious.

What lesson can we learn from that grandmother’s impulsive behavior?  Where had she gone wrong?  There may be nothing more heart-rending than the loss of a child.  So everyone can appreciate her grief and her desire to protect her daughter.  But in retrospect, Grandmother Ford impetuously made several mistakes that we repeat in a variety of ways today.

I’m going to let you meditate on that story and draw your own conclusions.  Tomorrow, I’ll share my observations in a follow-up post.  In the meantime, ask yourself:

What practical lesson should be learned?

What Biblical principles were violated?

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