PARABLE OF THE SALAD JARS

There once was a youngish mooch who had lived with her parents far past the point either mother, father, or even she had expected. With no end in sight to her time at home, the contented girl felt it her duty to contribute in some way to the household.

Looking around, and seeing that both the adults she lived with were fully capable of taking care of themselves, she found difficulty in discovering just where to put her time and effort. Luckily, the answer appeared to her through, of course, the suggestion of her mother.

“You could make salad jars for us to take to work every day.”

Perfect! Wonderful! The cynical mooch may have had little talent or skill with which to yield, but she felt confident in her abilities to chop, wash, and arrange produce. And, miraculously, said mooch managed to complete the task very well, in fact. For months, salad jars appeared at the ready every Sunday evening, standing proud and tall for the week ahead.

But alas, as all good things do, this too came to an end. A shock that rebounded back several times around the world, salad jars are not considered to be a taste sensation that is sweeping the nation. Enduring the tastes far longer than anyone ever could or should, both mother and father eventually grew tired of lettuce and tomato covered in alternating dressings. Several weeks went by where the salads went either uneaten, thrown away, or garbled down amidst mutterings under breaths.

Irritated that her efforts were no longer met with gratitude or success, our “lovable” mooch was discovered at the kitchen island one Sunday evening, throwing together a batch of jars with little enthusiasm or care. One may even dare to say they were made with just a touch of anger.

“I don’t know why I keep doing this,” the girl spoke to herself, giving of the complete picture of sanity, “its not like they’re going to eat them. And at the end of the week, it will be me tossing it out and cleaning the jar.”

Glaring at an oozing tomato, and back again at the dirty dishes overflowing in the sink from her valiant efforts, she turned against those who loved her most. “If they aren’t going to appreciate them, or even eat them, then I’m not going to make them. It’s not worth it.”

Just as the taunting idea of saving herself the trouble and disposing of the contents of the jars five days early crept into her fingers, a thought in her head stopped the appendages dead in their tracks.

“You know who else did a service for those who did not always appreciate it or accept it? Jesus Christ.”

If you were perchance looking for the moment when a person was kicked off of the shakiest pedestal of pride recorded in history, look no further. Looking back at the countertop and the nearly finished jars that laid there, the embarrassed mooch no longer felt resentment or justification. Instead, she felt humbled, corrected, and awed.

“Did I really just try to compare myself to the Savior?” The mooch blanched, somehow turning paler than she already was. Phenomena were flying around left and right that day. “Did I really think that my rejections could even stand in the same room as His?”

In case there is any question, dear reader, they could not. The Savior of the World came to the earth for the incredible purpose of saving all He could. Calling all to come to Him, the Creator of the Universe paid the ultimate price for every sin, pain, heartache, mistake, or ailment that would walk the earth. He suffered, that all may have a chance. A chance, because the Savior is not one to force those He loves, loves dearly, to make His torture worth the while. No, Jesus Christ leaves all to make their own choices, which sometimes include bypassing His aid, grace, and outstretched hand.

I have information from a very reliable source that even our foolish mooch has turned away from the encircling arms of His love, believing she knew better than He. Again, it’s doubtful it’s a mystery, but she did not. Many have rejected the Savior of Us All throughout various phases of their lives, and some poor souls throughout the entirety of their lives.

With those horrendous odds, did the Savior’s faith and determination ever waver? Pleading with His Father for the cup to be removed, did Jesus painstakingly go through the list of all who would come to the earth, proving to the Father that there were some who need not be suffered for? Those who would not accept His love, His kindness, or His truth, and as to spare Himself more pain, could easily be scratched from the records?

No. That is not what Jesus Christ did, not what Jesus Christ would ever do. Despite knowing the odds, despite knowing that all would fail, and some would never take their place beside them in the yolk, He bore Gethsemane and the Cross for all. Never does He give up the hope that at any time, a life could be changed for the better. He is always prepared to accept them, at whatever time or place they come running to Him.

So, let us return to the mooch from before. Do you think she learned her lesson? Do you think being humbled before all gave her the drive to change her character? Occasionally. Her salad jars, still made weekly, do not now always contain the bitter taste of supposed judgement. Though, sometimes there is just the slightest hint of rage, because as a shock to all, our mooch is not perfect. She fails daily, most likely hourly, and is constantly in need of correction and an outpouring of love. Dear reader, do you know who is always on hand to give her just that?

That’s right. Jesus Christ. Just as He gives every person on earth countless chances to try again, or maybe for the very first time, He offers that same right to our silly, little mooch. Though she never, never deserves it.

Please, my good friends, let The Parable of The Salad Jars be a lesson to you all. Though I have no doubt your acts of service are fueled by much more righteous desires that that of the mooch, all have days or moments where they falter beneath the light that guides them. Do not be discouraged! Try again, and again! Those are the very chances the Savior paid the price for!

Remember His unfailing love for you, beloved child of God, and let it feed you. Especially during this wonderful time of year, let all, including the mooch, try their best to do as Christ would. Light the world with the feeling of His love, by being His hands on the earth. Not for the praise of the world, or for what you make get out of it, or on the level of what the receiver might deserve. No, please do your best to emulate Him. Serve selflessly, and pray that by some miracle, this chance will be a success in bringing someone else to Him.