Word for All

A Japanese Parable

 

Once upon a time in ancient Japan a Samurai warrior came home from fighting. He decided to live on a hill top that overlooked a town. The people of the town being friendly would look up the hill and wave to the camped Samurai warrior.

The Samurai had made many riches while fighting for his emperor and seeing the friendly towns people below thought that they might come and steal his wealth and were only pretending to be friendly.

He decided that he didn’t want to risk losing his wealth and anyway the town below looked so ugly, so he ordered many blocks of stone and built a tower around him. Feeling satisfied he sat down in his tower of stone very pleased with himself.

Time moved on, the tower became cold and damp and when it rained drops of water splashed onto the Samurai’s head. Because he felt so cold and uncomfortable he blamed the people in the town below and cursed them for his situation. The more uncomfortable he got the angrier he became until at last his heart turned to stone.

Many years later, the Samurai was still sitting in his tower wondering what had happened in the outside world. He then realised he didn’t know how to get out of his tower, why hadn’t he built a door? As he sat in the dark, damp and foul smelling tower he felt something gently touch his head. He carefully lifted the object to his eyes and saw a daisy. Looking at the flower and its beauty he realised what a fool he had been and with that his stone heart broke and he started to cry. As his tears fell to the ground the tower started to collapse around him until all that was left was rubble at his feet. Standing up he looked around and saw many other hills with stone towers on the top of each.

This is not the end of the story but just the beginning as the old Samurai warrior was last seen climbing hills throwing daisies over the walls of towers.

 

Sometimes in life we get angry annoyed or upset about many things and like in the story we only too easily build towers around ourselves and let our hearts turn to stone.

 

Today it’s mothering Sunday and it’s tradition to give our mother figures flowers. Today is no exception. However as a church we feel we would also like to give all the ladies who are here flowers whether a Mother or not. This might seem or feel a little strange but I believe that God wants to meet all the women here today with the same love regardless of situation, scenario or motherhood. Therefore please accept these flowers as a gift from God and as they are received let us all remember no matter how good or hard things can be God has a habit of touching our heads with his Holy Spirit whether we live in a city and wave to people or we find ourselves sat in our own self made towers of stone.