A modern-day parable…

One day Jesus was hanging out with his disciples and they asked him, “Why do we have to believe in a God anyway? Aren’t we fine on our own?” So Jesus told them this story:

“Once there was a young man, who ran up to his friend and said with great excitement, ‘Hey, look what I have – a new set of Bose surround-sound earbuds for an iPhone. They rock – it’s like having a subwoofer in your eardrum. Sure, they were expensive, but they are so worth it!

‘And look what else I got – a modish, translucent iPhone case, to protect it if it drops or gets stepped on. It’s slim, easy to use, and stays out of the way. It even comes with a kickstand on the back, so I can prop in on the table to watch movies, like the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy in 3.5-inch-screen glory.

‘But that’s not the best part. I went online and downloaded all kinds of cool iPhone apps on my computer. I bought the iSteam app which fogs up the screen like a bathroom mirror, a Simulated Lighter app to wave at concerts, an app that gives me directions to the closest Starbucks and a relaxing bubble-wrap app where I can pop away for hours on end.’

His friend listened to all of this with growing envy. Finally, heaving a sigh, he said, ‘Well, let’s see it, let’s see your new iPhone.’

The young man looked at his friend in disbelief. ‘What, are you crazy? Who needs that, when I have all of these cool accessories and downloads? They are fun all on their own; what more do I need?’

And the young man walked off down the street – earbuds in his ears, protective case in his pocket and apps waiting on his computer, unaware that he was missing the one thing that would make everything else fit into place.”