Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 11:25 AM
Subject: The Parable of the Talents
Ron and I really like to do active lessons with the
> kids. Well, yesterday we had the chance again because Ron's recovering
> from a nasty stomach virus.
> We had a quiet day. The last time we'd stayed home, we did the parable
> of the Good Samaritan with the boys. We acted it out several times,
> changing roles. They loved it. So yesterday, Ron wanted to do the
> parable of the talents with the boys. He read the account first. Then
> he told Jonathan he'd have the 5 talents, Christopher the 2 talents, and
> I would play the servant given the one talent. Ron gave 5 checkers to
> Jonathan, told him he was going away, that he would return and wanted to
> see what Jonathan could do with his talents. He told Christopher and I
> similarly. Then Ron hid checkers around the living room and left. The
> boys looked for their checkers and found the corresponding number for
> their given talents. Then Ron returned. When he called Jonathan to
> him, Ron was having a hard time controlling his tears. It was so
> powerful! But he talked with Jonathan and Christopher. Then he called
> me. As I unburied my talent from under the rug and took it to Ron, I
> was already fighting tears. But as I explained that Ron was a hard man,
> reaping where he did not sow, I couldn't stop my tears. And with my
> tears, Ron's were also flowing. Ron called the boys and explained that
> it will be like that for anyone who chooses not to serve God - thrown
> out of the kingdom with weeping and gnashing of teeth. Ron said, "Look
> at your mommy's face." It wasn't much better when we switched roles:
> I was the king, Christopher 5 talents, Jonathan 2 talents, and Ron 1
> talent. This time Ron really played up the laziness - with Jonathan
> constantly exhorting him to look for talents, that the king would be
> returning. It was still hard to throw Ron out of the kingdom. When
> Christopher wanted to play it again, Jonathan immediately volunteered to
> be the servant with one talent. Ron told him that it was not an easy
> part to play. Jonathan soberly said, "I know, but I don't want either
> of you to be tossed out of God's kingdom." As you can imagine,
> Jonathan's sacrificial attitude did Ron and I in again. With tears
> streaming down our faces, we held Jonathan and talked about the role
> play. As Ron said, we'll never read that section of scripture again the
> same way.
> Love, Cynthia
I may not have found the Mother's Day piece I was looking for, but this reminder of the love of my child was a pretty special Mother's Day present.