A story of how God shows a man the difference between Heaven and Hell by opening two doors. A powerful parable on the difference between love and selfishness.
My kids were going through a phase where they were fighting with each other more than usual. As I pondered on how to fix the situation, thoughts of service kept coming to mind. I knew that the real cause of fighting was 99% of the time due to plain old selfishness and that the opposite of selfishness was service. I searched for a story I could share with my children at our next Family Council, something that would get their attention before bringing up the issue at hand. I came across this story and it was perfect for what I was needing.
I also listened to the October 2017 General Conference talk by Bonnie L. Oscarson entitled “The Needs before Us.” It is a wonderful talk on serving those around us like our family and our neighbors. In it she shares the following quote by President James E. Faust:
This started a chain of Family Home Evening lessons and even our family’s New Year’s resolution focused on Service. It has been a wonderful learning experience not only for my children but for my husband and I as well.
THE PARABLE OF THE SPOON
One day a man said to God, “God, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.
God showed the man two doors. Inside the first one, in the middle of the room, was a large round table with a large pot of stew. It smelled delicious and made the man’s mouth water, but the people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.
The man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. God said, “You have seen Hell.”
Behind the second door, the room appeared exactly the same. There was the large round table with the large pot of wonderful stew that made the man’s mouth water. The people had the same long-handled spoons, but they were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The man said, “I don’t understand.”
God smiled. “It is simple,” He said, “Love only requires one skill. These people learned early to feed one another. Those who are hungry are greedy people, and they think only of themselves.
The perfect example of a life filled with service is President Thomas S. Monson. Read a personal story told by Marie Osmond about Pres. Monson and what he taught her about service. Click HERE
For a Free Download of the quote by Pres. Faust, Click HERE
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Yours Truly,
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