The Allegory of the Wooden Spoons

       The allegory of the wooden spoons is an ancient story that has been told in many different cultures.  

      A man once asked a spiritual leader, “I would like to know what heaven and hell are like”.  The spiritual leader led the man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the man looked in.  In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious.  The people sitting around the table were thin and appeared to be starving. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms.  Each person could reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. The spoons however, were longer than their arms.  They could not get the spoons full of stew back into their mouths.  The man was sad to see the people suffering and not able to eat the food that was in front of them.  The spiritual leader said to the man “you have seen hell”.

     Then they went to the next room and opened the door.  It was exactly the same as the first one.  There was the large round table with the large pot of stew that smelled delicious.  The people had the same type of long-handled spoons, but in this room the people were well nourished, and satisfied.  They enjoyed laughing and talking.  The man said to the spiritual leader “don’t understand”.  “It is simple”, said the spiritual leader. “It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other.  The proud think that they do not need the other person, while the greedy think only of themselves”

    This story is a good description of the need for reciprocity in mission partnerships. Some people assume that it is only the other person in need while the truth is that we all starve when we do not contribute to the lives of each other.