DEVOTION: The Parable of Everyman ~ by Karen Rees

Ignoring all the danger signs, Everyman took a stroll on the beach during a hurricane and was washed out to sea. As he was drowning, he saw a ship plowing through the waves toward him.

“Help! Save me!”

Soon a man in a dinghy arrived.

“I'm Captain deJesus,” the man said, pulling him aboard. The captain rowed back to the ship with a grateful Everyman huddled exhausted at his feet.

When they reached the ship, crew members eagerly carried Everyman below to a small cabin where they gave him a dry sailor's suit and a bowl of chicken noodle soup and put him to bed.

After a rest, Everyman felt better. He looked around the cabin. He'd never been on a ship before although he had read about luxury liners. He decided to explore the vessel. But first he must thank Captain deJesus for saving him.

Once on deck, Everyman found the captain standing by the rail scanning the rough seas. He thanked him and then said, “If you ever need anything you can count on me.”

“We need help in the galley,” the captain said. So Everyman spent the day washing dishes and dreaming of playing shuffleboard on a luxury liner.

The next day Everyman joined the watching crew as Captain deJesus rescued another drowning man from the angry ocean. He gladly welcomed the newcomer aboard. He was not as pleased to share his cabin with the man. He decided to talk with the captain.

“He has big feet,” Everyman said. “I and all my friends and family have small feet.”

The captain smiled.

“It's wonderful that you can finally befriend someone with big feet.”

Everyman quickly excused himself before the captain could send him to the galley. He wandered the rolling deck searching for a shuffleboard game or a deck chair for sunbathing after they cleared the hurricane. He found neither.

By the third day Everyman was angry. He had to share a cramped cabin with a seasick Big Foot who snored. The food was ordinary, entertainment was lacking and the ship was still storm-tossed. He went to see the captain and voiced his complaints.

“I've been patient,” Everyman finished. “Now you MUST steer for peaceful waters. And I want a bigger, private cabin.”

Captain deJesus, standing by the rail, shook his head firmly.

“This is a rescue ship, not a luxury liner. We're here to save and care for people. We could use your help.”

“Help?!” Everyman exploded in frustration. “I didn't sign on to help or have my wishes ignored.”

With those parting words, he flung himself over the rail into the raging seas and drowned.

The epitaph on his tombstone reads:

Here lies Everyman

He forgot

A lot.

What have you forgotten recently?

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Eph. 2:10

Father God, help me to daily remember that you don't exist to serve me. I exist to serve you. Help me to serve you faithfully and with heartfelt gratitude for the gift of salvation that you've given me through Christ. In his name, Amen.

KAREN REES, with her second-generation missionary husband Benjamin, has served in Hong Kong since 1975. Besides her involvement in the mission work, Karen loves history, quilting and writing. They have two children, Matthew and Megan, and two grand-children, Hadessah and Arthur Aaron.

Her historical fiction novel, The Ruby Ring, won a Finalist Award in the 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards in the Religious Fiction category. It can be purchased in paperback or eBook from Amazon.com and many other online bookstores.

Visit Karen on her author page on Facebook. 
Watch her book trailer, The Ruby Ring Trailer.