The Parable of the Cook

Let's pretend that you're a cook who feeds the same people every week. You
go to the store, pay for the ingredients, work hard cooking the meal, open
the doors, and the usual patrons wander in. Many of them are actually out of shape,
lazy as a dog, and picky as a two year old. Some things are too
hot, some are too cold. Some simply go through the line and take what they
want. Others complain about everything that's on the menu that they don't
like. "Why do they even have squash? I hate squash." Or, "How come they
don't have sweet potatoes? Every other decent restaurant in town has sweet
potatoes." Sometimes they'll say, "We have the best fried chicken in town.
It's better than every other diner out there."

You begin to notice that most of the patrons aren't really that hungry. They just come to
inspect the food. They load up anyway, though most of the food on the
plates will go unconsumed. When they go through the line there is a
donation box at the end to offset the cost of the food and perhaps to tip
the cook. Most pay. Some even leave a tip, smile, and say thank you. It's
this appreciation that will often make the difference between whether or not
the cook keeps cooking for some days it can get discouraging to be a cook.

On a rare occasion, the usual customers will see a hungry person in the
marketplace and tell him where he can go to get a good meal and become
healthy again. Most of the time the hungry go unnoticed because they're
everywhere, and so are the diners. When a starving person wanders in,
everyone gets excited. They share their meal and even save the newcomer a
place at the table. It's a happy time when you get to see someone enjoy a
hot meal for the first time.

It happens one day that the critique of the food turns to criticism of the
cook. What once was delicious is now boring. Eventually the criticism of
the cook digs into criticism of his motives and character. "Why does he
really cook?" some say. There are some who start talking about the donation
box. "If he really cares about us, he'll do it without needing to put that
offensive donation box at the end of the line." They begin to sit at
various tables and tell people that we don't need to give the cook any money
for the food. They say, "Don't tell the cook that he's doing a good job
because then he won't try harder and will never become a better cook. By
not encouraging him we're actually helping him." They use every angle
possible to convince people that the cook is greedy and only cares about the
money in the donation box. "He's just a hireling" they say. "He needs to
be taught a lesson in how to cook for the sake of cooking alone. That's
true culinary perfection."

The cook begins to go broke. He needs to pay the bills and so he gets
another job, and another job, and another job, and eventually, he doesn't
have energy to cook anymore. He still does, but he's just not as excited
about it as he used to be. In weeks to come people gather, go through the
line, load up, and when they get to the end of the line, they not only don't
tip anymore, they don't even pay for the food. That would be fine with the
cook because sometimes they're not able to and that's ok. The cook is just
glad they're there, that they're eating something, and
that they're sharing with others.

The problem is that they don't even say thank you anymore. They just load
up and walk away. They still criticize what they don't like and compare the
food to the other diners. They never take the time to tell the cook that
the food is good, decent, hot, or fresh. After some months pass, the cook
begins to wonder if these people aren't trying to tell him something.
The fact that they come and load up and most of it goes
uneaten begins to make him think, "Perhaps they need, not just a new dish,
but a new cook." Secretly a few individual patrons encourage the cook and
bless his family but it seems as thought they have to hide their efforts from
the rest of the patrons. The cook gets it. He realizes that there is a
attitude that has taken over the restaurant that will never allow the
patrons to express appreciation as a collective group. These patrons wish
to take over the cooking for themselves. He announces that he's hanging up
his apron, but fear not, the diner will still stay open under new
management. Some patrons organize a dinner and invite him and his family to attend a meal in his honor.
He attends. One last time, everybody loads up, walks away,
eats, and goes home. And that's it. The cook says, "I'm done with the restaurant business. I'm better off doing something else."
So he goes away, cooks for his family and a few genuinely hungry people he comes across,
works in peace, and lives happily every after.

The end.
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Epilogue

In the months following his departure, the former cook questions his calling to actually be a cook. Some say that everyone is a cook. Is there really a 'calling' to cook? As he wrestles with the question, he finds new strength in a deeper friendship with the Farmer from whom all the ingredients flowed. Turns out He's quite the merciful fellow. The Farmer assures the cook that he'll be fine and that He will take care of him as well as the patrons in the diner, and He does.
The diner goes through many cooks. Each one taking a turn at preparing the meal. One week it's
Chinese, the next week it's Mexican. There's some meat and potatoes on
occasion, and even some thick pasta dishes while others make up hot fudge
sundaes. The patrons seem to like the variety. What happens next? To be continued...