Once there was giant playground filled fence to fence with sandboxes. Each sandbox belonged to one guy (or gal) and they were busy digging in our own sand, building their own sand castles, making their own mudpies, and all seemed well. They talked to each other, waved hi and said, “Nice job” and stuff, but stayed in their own boxes doing their own thing.
Now there was one guy that has some fine looking nice sand and a shovel or two, but no buckets, and his sandcastle didn’t hold together. He spied a girl nearby with some buckets- she was using water and her castles look sturdy, but the sand was old and has leaves in it, and the castle didn’t have much form.
The guy had a few choices- continue doing what he was doing, OR offer to help the girl out with her project, OR ask the girl to help with HIS project. Yet he was only really interested in his own sandbox, and didn’t want to play in hers because it would take away from time spent in his OWN sandbox. But he knew that he needed help, so he asked the girl to come play in his sandbox and bring her buckets over.
The girl realized very quickly that, despite how pretty the guy’s sand was, she would be doing what seemed like the lion’s share of the work on the guy’s castle, since it was obvious he couldn’t make one on his own. She didn’t want to leave HER sandbox behind either.
And so, they continued to sit, working in their own sandbox island.
On the other side of the playground, a couple more guys each had a sandbox. But here, one guy looked at the other guy, who has some mad skills working the sand, and offered to bring his Tonka trucks and Star Wars figures over. Together they built an empire in the sand.
I ask you, dear disciples, which of these was most accomplished?
“The man who shared his trucks and figures,” they responded.
Yea, and I say verily, you are correct. For that man showed humility and generosity and mad skills in the sand. Alone, your sandcastles will blow into dust and be pooped upon by seagulls. But when we work in fellowship with each other, moving mountains is as easy as shoveling sand, and we can accomplish far more.
Next: Joe explains the parable of the sandboxes
Now there was one guy that has some fine looking nice sand and a shovel or two, but no buckets, and his sandcastle didn’t hold together. He spied a girl nearby with some buckets- she was using water and her castles look sturdy, but the sand was old and has leaves in it, and the castle didn’t have much form.
The guy had a few choices- continue doing what he was doing, OR offer to help the girl out with her project, OR ask the girl to help with HIS project. Yet he was only really interested in his own sandbox, and didn’t want to play in hers because it would take away from time spent in his OWN sandbox. But he knew that he needed help, so he asked the girl to come play in his sandbox and bring her buckets over.
The girl realized very quickly that, despite how pretty the guy’s sand was, she would be doing what seemed like the lion’s share of the work on the guy’s castle, since it was obvious he couldn’t make one on his own. She didn’t want to leave HER sandbox behind either.
And so, they continued to sit, working in their own sandbox island.
On the other side of the playground, a couple more guys each had a sandbox. But here, one guy looked at the other guy, who has some mad skills working the sand, and offered to bring his Tonka trucks and Star Wars figures over. Together they built an empire in the sand.
I ask you, dear disciples, which of these was most accomplished?
“The man who shared his trucks and figures,” they responded.
Yea, and I say verily, you are correct. For that man showed humility and generosity and mad skills in the sand. Alone, your sandcastles will blow into dust and be pooped upon by seagulls. But when we work in fellowship with each other, moving mountains is as easy as shoveling sand, and we can accomplish far more.
Next: Joe explains the parable of the sandboxes
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