Regret Can be Redeemed- A Parable
Riverbed of Regret
There's a riverbed of regret that runs through my soul. The waters of disappointment have become an impression fossilized deep within the earth of my heart. And at the source of this river is a tree, a tree named Eve, who grows her children and plants her seeds.
One day as she was planting, a gust of wind came and blew a seed just outside the reach of her branches, those that protect and guide. But, no matter how far she struggled to reach, she could not touch the little seedling. But, the child grew anyway, and in an extraordinary way. Her beauty talent, and glory were undeniable to all. And for all to see, the child grew and grew, becoming a twig, becoming a branch. She resembled something of Eve, but more of something else; a mystery that even Eve herself could not identify.
The child learned to grow on her own as Eve became a mere observer. She delighted in the child, but knew not what to do with her; she stayed outside of Eve's realm, still unable to be reached.
The tender branch began to produce other small twigs and all seemed well until a fierce storm came. All the others had grown strongly rooted under Eve's protection, but not this one. Despite this fact, she was surprisingly strong and did not seem to bend under the wind for the longest. But then, her budding branches began to be stripped away by the howling wind that seemed to be singing her a lonesome lullaby. Suddenly, the final gust that uprooted her carried her into the turbulence of the river, it's hands being frightfully chilly, but the loneliness being more so.
And as lonely as she had been outside of Eve's grasp, she was lonelier and as misplaced as she was before; for she had no place, other than where the current carried her from moment to moment. She fought and flailed, she cried out for help, but none wanted to leave the cozy banks of the the river where fruitfulness and flourishing abounded. And by now, she was completely out of Eve's sight. And certainly Eve could not uproot herself and leave all her other growing children. What if she, too, got pulled into the river of disappointments and regrets? So, she stayed put for the sake of all the others, hoping someone else would pull her lost branch out, but no one ever did.
After a long and hard fight, the flailing ceased and the cries silenced. The little branch was quiet, and the little branch was still. It was easier to just let the current carry her than to keep fighting against it. So she floated- away from fruitfulness, away from flourishing, away from opportunity and prosperity. She never forgot, however, the beauty that she was and the uniqueness of her glory, keeping a keen sense of all the delightful fruit she could have produced. She never forgot. In fact, she remained very, very aware. Maybe that's why the sadness in her was so heavy. So heavy, that sometimes she felt like a rock that would sink to the bottom of the river and be lost forever.
The sediment of regret collected on her branches. “Why did this have to happen?” And the erosion of disappointment stripped her bark away. “I will never be what I was meant to be.” And she wished, so deeply wished, she had not left the riverbank that day. That way her Eden would not be so far away. The End.
And it seems like a sad ending but you must read between the lines. For the soul who still thinks of Eden, still has hope, despite disappointment and despair. And the soul that still has hope, as lost as it may feel, can muster strength. And the soul that is strong can endure, and the soul that can endure can have faith again.
And faith is faith because of He who is Faithful. And though dreams may die with disappointment and regret, His faithfulness never will. And it is He who is the original Dreamer and the original Dreammaker.
