Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Proverbs 3:5 (04/06/23)
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TITLE: Struggling for All. | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
04/08/23 -
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The fog settling in the valley below didn’t seem to phase anyone else scurrying around to the shops and workplaces. They clearly didn’t have major decisions to make. His first major building project towered over the landscape. He had no problem getting to his knees for that overwhelming task. He had given it his all. What was so hard about now?
He’d heard the story from his parents. A holy man had come by shortly after his birth. His mother and father gave him a name that focused on peace but the messenger dubbed him Jedidiah – loved of Yahweh. It had been easy to stop and ask for what he didn’t know. But now he had experience, he had knowledge, he had wisdom. He also had power.
With a word, he could unleash his entire workforce to construct his slightest whim. Nothing seemed too difficult. The thrill of conquest and accomplishment faded. The excitement of discovery and understanding evaporated. The pursuit of pleasure and love grew old and tired. Was there nothing new under the sun?
Every dignitary under the sun had pledged allegiance and admiration. Every trinket and treasure sat in his store rooms. His closets and his belly were stuffed.
The giggle of a child playing with a dog drew his attention. The child gave himself fully to the tug of war he engaged in with the dog as both of them held fast to the end of a stick. Round and round they whirled, the child laughing, the dog growling. What had happened to innocence?
Perhaps it was the shadows of the warnings he’d been given when he’d been on his knees so long ago. Words from somewhere, still echoing in his ears. “If you turn away and serve others I’ll take this all away.”
The woman who created such confusion lounged invitingly in the late morning rays. Her golden hairpiece sparkled with a radiance inviting a touch. Her perfect smile and glistening eyes made resistance more than difficult. Such a small request. A sacred space so she could keep her vows to the one she honored. Did he have to bend his knee for this? It wasn’t his sacred space. He looked back toward the bulwark surrounding the Temple that was secure for the awe of the world.
His God demanded total trust with all his heart. What harm would it do to set aside a sacred space so others could practice what they believed? Tolerance would keep the peace at home and among those he had to do business with. Compromise would open up doors and invite more treasure.
Two of his advisors strolled by deep in discussion. Their generous grey beards nesting on finely linened chests. Perhaps he should consult these learned ones. But who was more learned than him? Was he not the wisest of the wise? What could others have to say to give him more wisdom than he already hoarded? A deep sigh escaped.
What choice did he really have? When you ally yourself with powerful friends and you fasten yourself tightly to their ravishing daughters there are some difficult decisions that don’t always involve falling on your face, as if you are still a child.
Oh, it was more than clear where this would lead. If he compromised with one then the others would all rise up to claim their own sacred spaces. But these weren’t his sacred spaces. His own heart was fully fixed on The One True One. He shook off the niggling in his mind and nodded toward his crew chief. It would be a small space. One that would draw more smiles from those who mattered. The price of favor was more complicated than most ordinary folks understood.
Whole-hearted trust. What did that involve anyway? It was clear to anyone observing the grandeur of his architecture where his true allegiance lay.
The boy and the dog stopped their dance, both tired of the struggle. The stick lay at their feet, now ignored. The boy patted the dog’s head. His allegiance was clear. It was so easy to be a naïve child not having to make such decisions that could pull your heart into two.
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