Parables and Parabolas
The word parable comes from the same Greek word as parabola. Both words are composed of the prefix para-, which means alongside, and ballein which means to reach by throwing or let fly. A parabola describes the arc that an object makes when it is thrown into the air and then comes back down due to gravity. This is actually a pretty useful description of what parables invite us to do. If we receive the Parables that the Savior taught with the Spirit and with an open heart ready to receive, then our souls are vaulted into a higher plane so that we may, at least a little, comprehend the Lord's thoughts and see things from His perspective. We can't stay up there forever and must come back down, but now our hearts and minds are changed and we can go about our lives with renewed commitment to living after the pattern that Christ has shown us. Interestingly, the word devil has that same Greek root ballein as the words parable and parabola, but with the prefix dia- which means against or opposed to. That's why diabolic and parabolic have the same ending. The devil wants us to either stop the first part of our arc as we ascend to the higher plane, or, failing that, He tries to stop us from coming back down to Earth and doing the hard but worthwhile task of living each day with that renewed commitment to the gospel path and especially of sharing our increased light and knowledge with our brothers and sisters so that they may take off on parabolic journeys of their own. Like the bird in the Parable of the Sower, the devil wants to stop our upward journey before it begins. Like the enemy sowing tares in the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, the devil wants to confuse or distort our parabolic arc, so that we are too distracted to receive the precious truths the Lord has for us. The devil also tempts us, since we are floating high above the rest of the world with our important and lofty thoughts, to never land back down on Earth and get out and help those who are struggling but rather to pass by on the other side like the Priest and the Levite in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. When we are earnestly seeking to do God's will, our journey should describe a perfect parabola. Our souls rise up briefly to commune with our God, and then they fall back down to share His light and His love with our brothers and sisters. And when we have run out of light and love and strength and understanding, then we cast ourselves back up into the arms of our loving Heavenly Father to be renewed and reinvigorated and have revealed to us a little more of His light and knowledge and wisdom so that we can return to the earth once more to serve our brothers with even more love and dedication and purpose.
