Parable of the Busy Little Girl (The Law, Grace & Truth)

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Ginny. She was a busy little girl; a child who could not sit still for even a moment. One sunny afternoon Ginny’s mother was finishing a quilt, which Ginny had no interest in at all. “Why don’t you go outside and play?” Her mother suggested. As Ginny ran for the door, her mother called out, “Just stay where I can see you!”

Finally, I can get some work done. But, no sooner had Ginny’s mother thought this than she heard Ginny yell, “Can You See Me Now?”

Leaning forward to look out of the window, Ginny’s mother could see that her daughter was standing in the meadow just on the other side of the fence. “Yes, honey. I can see you.” She replied. “Why don’t you pick some nice flowers for us?”

Now, where was I? Ginny’s mother said to herself sitting back in her chair. Several minutes went by before she started making progress again on the quilt.

“Can you see me now?” Ginny’s voice trailed in softly through the window. Setting the quilt down and rolling her eyes a little, Ginny’s mother looked and saw that Ginny was now at the far edge of the meadow. A few more steps and she would be completely out of sight.

“Ginny! Come And Play Closer To The House!” Ginny’s mother said loudly. Ginny came running back through the meadow and hopped up on the fence. “Ginny, I’ve told you not to sit on the fence.” Her mother reminded her, and Ginny hopped back down.

For goodness’ sake, Ginny’s mother sighed. When will I ever get this quilt done? After awhile, she slipped back into a comfortable rhythm and was feeling pleased with her work. It did not take her long to stop worrying about Ginny. But, as soon as she noticed this, she started worrying about Ginny. It’s awfully quiet out there, she thought, I’d better take a look.

“Ginny!” She yelled. Ginny was walking along the top of the fence like a tightrope. “Get down from there! I thought I told you to stay off the fence!” Ginny executed an awkward dismount, but stuck the landing.

“Mom! You said not to sit on the fence. I wasn’t sitting on it.”

Ginny’s mother took a deep breath before answering. “Ginny, will you please just play quietly in the yard while I finish this quilt?”

“Okay.” Ginny said, as she began looking around for something else to do. Ginny and her mother must have noticed all the apples on the ground at the same time.

“And, don’t let me catch you throwing those apples!” Ginny’s mother quickly added.

This time, it took Ginny’s mother several minutes to find her place and get back to work. When, all of a sudden, there was a loud “thwack” against the side of the house. Ginny’s mother leapt to her feet and moved quickly toward the window. She had drawn a deep breath and was already forming a shout on her lips. But, what she saw in the yard took the wind right out of her sails.

Ginny had not thrown that apple. What she had done was to lay a plank board over a good-sized rock and then used it to catapult the apple over her head against the side of the house. “Ginny!” Her mother managed to boom out as Ginny was reloading.

The look that Ginny gave her mother and the incredulous shrug of her shoulders were too much. Ginny’s mother did the only thing left to do that made any sense to her. She set her quilting down and went outside to play with her daughter.

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” ~John 1:14