Sunday, July 11, 2010

Golden Bells

There was an old bridge. Worn by time and weathered by the climate. The end of the bridge was unseen to the naked eye. Only the bold would spur on the path. One misstep could mean death, for beneath it was a long way down, down in the rapids of the river. But what was scarier was the unfamiliar territory beyond the bridge, even more so than the rushing waters beneath. And on this bridge there was a sign, that read, “Treasure at other end. Come and take!”
But most who passed by disregarded it and disbelieved it.

One day three travelers read the sign and with much boldness decided to take the journey to the unknown. They chose to take the path. They steadied themselves and made their way closer and closer to the bridge. With deep breaths they embarked on the journey ahead in search of treasures. With each step the fear of the surrounding dissipated. And confidence and exhilaration arose in their hearts. But something even more wonderful started happening, something magical. Instantly, the rust of the bridge had faded and the bridge had transformed. As they looked back the way they came, they noticed that the bridge was no longer the old bridge. The bridge had turned to gold. The beauty amazed them.

The bridge had been a magic bridge.
The only way to unlock the magic was a choice, a choice to travel – to journey beyond. All their fears had now vanished. And as they walked, each new step came with more assurance and hope.

Oh, what could be waiting on the other side!


When they finally crossed over, they were taken aback in astonishment!
Was this all real!
The place was a gold mine!
The only thing you saw were bells – GOLDEN BELLS.
The entire land was filled with these golden bells.
Not one, not a hundred, and not even thousands, but an endless provision of golden bells.

But the first traveler’s face was downcast.
Disappointed he voiced,

“I traveled, not for gold
Nor for fame, but of another
A desire for wonder – adventure and more
For riches & wealth, I already possess”


He returned the way he came. The magic of the journey had been lost and he never desired to come across the bridge again.

But the second traveler was filled joy!
In joy he said,

“Alas, the treasures, how marvelous
I searched and searched, for this place
For I knew, the bridge was no ordinary
Full of magic, of wonder and more
In awe I stand, in love I am”


He took with him five golden bells and placed them in his backpack and journeyed back home. He exchanged the golden bells for food and clothes. He shared his wealth with the entire town. And he would return each new day to replenish all his needs.

Now the third traveler, stood bewildered. Such a beautiful and enchanting bridge, yet why the golden bells? What could this mean! There has to be something more! He walked around troubled by the meaning of this place. But as he walked further in, he noticed a golden well which had been surrounded by all the golden bells. What a strange place for a well! Perplexed he went over to look inside. It was not filled with water as you would expect, but something peculiar. It had been filled with keys – golden keys. He picked one key and also one bell and sat down. He was flustered and agitated. He stared intently at the bell hoping for a keyhole to make it fit. But no such luck. What good is a key without doors?

In frustration he hit the bell with the golden key.

GONG.

GONG.

GONG.

The gongs rang and rang. The sound was beautiful, magical.
The air became lighter. He became lighter. He felt as if he was being lifted with each new gong. And then the gong had stopped and all the magic seemed to have stopped as well. He tried to ring the bell again, but no sound came forth . He went and grabbed another bell and tried again. This time the gong came, louder and louder it rang. And he was lifted, lifted high with the gongs, to a place he had never seen. And this place had a golden door. He used the key to unlock the door.
Behind the door, he saw!

He proclaimed,

“In wonder and amazement
My heart’s desire; standing – standing here
From youth til now, long-suffering, how I have searched
The very thing, I have found
Which magic has brought me,
To meet you now; here and forever
Could there be, any other
More gracious, more worthy
Utter peace, pureness – sweeter than any
In bended knee, worship, worship"


And the voice spoke back,

“Grace is here
And everywhere, nowhere scarce;
In plentiful, never to disappear;
As long as the sun shines,
As long as the moon glows.
Waiting to make known,
It will always be.
Grace is waiting
Longing to give, to embrace the one
Willing to see, that which is hidden
Repentance is key, to unlock grace
For grace is veiled, concealed to sight
Clouded by darkness, from within you
For grace will touch,
one who unlocks, revealing truth”


“Grace has opened, from heaven above
now taste and see
blessings poured, overflow
Immeasurable, uncontained
For the one, the seeker who comes”


The third traveler enjoyed his time with the ONE and came back every day to receive one blessing after another.

7 comments:

gloria :) said...

i liked your short story/parable (very The Chronicles of Narnia)

so like the first person that goes on the bridge and just leaves is that a person who learns of God's grace but doesn't find it useful?
the second person is someone who hears of Gods grace and uses it for there gain?
the third person hears listens and preservers and understands God's grace and uses it correctly?

Unknown said...

Hmm. I guess it shows three different types of Christians. All at one time were bold and excited, yet half-way through, one of them returned back into the world since it did not meet his expectations.

The second enjoyed where he was spiritually, and was satisfied. He returned to God daily, and helped others, yet he never did venture deeper in the things of God. Every good and perfect gift comes from God. So what this Christian is doing is not bad, and I guess we have a lot of Christians in the world that do good works, but do not venture deeper into their own spiritual journey.

The third, although delighted at the journey's end, questioned what it all meant and ventured deeper, eventually meeting with God and going back home daily as well to help others.

In conclusion, either we venture on the journey of Christianity from wrong motives, become satisfied as an average Christian would, or venture farther, questioning and examining our present spiritual situation to proceed onwards towards greater levels.

I'm probably missing a lot of things like grace and repentance, but this is what I saw when I read it.

redeemed said...

Okay...here we go.

I think the bridge represents Jesus Christ, who promises salvation and joy and the Holy Spirit to those who believe. Many people today pass Him by, thinking that Christianity is just old and worn, something of the past. But three brave travelers decide to take the risk. It seems daunting to the prospective believer from first glance, to have to sacrifice all and to die to himself daily. But with each step, with each day, the believer receives more and more from God, until the whole decision is proved a worthy one.

But in the end, in a land where grace abounds, one traveler decides "this is all nice, but it's not what I need. I'm fine with what I have."

The second traveler, like Jeff mentioned, is delighted at grace and forgiveness, but really doesn't find any interest beyond that.

The third traveler, enraptured by what he sees, seeks after this God who provides such amazing grace. Who is this God that loves so abundantly? And as The One said, "repentance is key to unlock grace." Each time the traveler repents, he is met with grace (the key striking the bell). Repentance makes him feel lighter, free of all the burdens of sin he'd just shed. As the traveler continues to repent, he is lifted higher, and higher, until he has an encounter with God, being overwhelmed by His grace and love.

The traveler, having met God, went to Him every day thereafter to receive one blessing after another :)

...I think. hahaha

D said...

The bridge is Jesus Christ, the Gate for His sheep. To the rest of the world, He looks humble & pathetic But, the true believer who walks across the bridge in faith realizes Jesus is the Son of God who reconciled us with the Father by dying on the cross for our sins. Without Him we can never reach the Father.

The golden bells represents the grace of God and the blessings He pours out into every believer.

The golden keys in the well is the Living Water. The Holy Spirit. The One who seals the true believer for eternity in Heaven. The One who gives power to believers through spiritual gifts which are for the spiritual edification or growth of fellow believers in the Body of Christ.

I think the first traveler is the "Christian" obsessed with the wealth and worries of this life. A parallel to the seed planted on thorny ground.

The second traveler is the "Christian" that is obsessed with obtaining physical & spiritual gifts from God. His goal was not God Himself but what He can give.

The third traveler is the true Christian that is seeking something beyond this world--something Heavenly. He was seeking GOD with pure motives.

The last part is self explanatory. The child of God finally reunites with His Heavenly Father who he sought with all his heart, mind, soul & strength. He is saved & reconciled with Him only by the Grace of God. You can see the Trinity in it.

For something that was done so hastily it is pretty well done.
Thanks for sharing, big Jane.

D said...

BTW from now on I'll personally refrain from any shallow or sarcastic comments on the blog.

But I do want to encourage people to share blogposts/comments that will encourage us to grow in faith, hope & love for God.

Let's keep the comments edifying. =)

Unknown said...

Wow. What Redeemed said made me realize another thing. That repentance is the key to going farther with God.

The third traveler took the key and hit the bell, and each time got closer and closer to God. Eventually though, there was no more sound. Until however, another bell was taken and hit, which took the travel to farther levels than ever before.

The bells are supposed to be a good thing, since it's treasure and golden. If the key is repentance, then repentance and this treasure together, hand in hand, unlocks the deeper journey.

If the bells were grace, that would sound nice. "Repentance and grace." Wasn't that Nakwon EM's 4th anniversary statement? But why would another bell be needed? Is another kind of grace needed to venture farther into the journey? Or is it referring to another kind of grace and repentance combination?

D said...

So the first "gong" sounds is the prayers of repentance that reaches God who sits in heaven?

I was also wondering why would a second bell would be needed?

I guess the second gong is the trumpet call when the dead in Christ are raised to life and those who are alive are raptured?

I hope I'm not reading to much into these things but the more I read it the more I feel that this story is perhaps inspired by the Holy Spirit. Then, it would be wrong for me to joke around about it.