The Banquet

Close your eyes and picture yourself walking into a beautiful banquet hall. Everyone has been invited to this particular banquet, and as you begin to sample the food and mingle with the other feasters you take in your surroundings.

Some tables are filled with people who are laughing and enjoying themselves. Others are filled with people who are complaining that the food is too cold or too hot, and the decorations aren't to their liking. Some people are sad, some are lonely, and some are only pretending to eat.

You are intrigued by the different views and perspectives invoked by a free banquet. Each person sees it in his or her own way. Some are grateful, others bitter. Some are joyful, others sad. Some stand quietly outside the doors, too afraid to step inside. Some must rely on others to get food for them, and some are perfectly capable of getting their own food but choose to rely on others anyway.

It strikes you that this banquet is a metaphor for life. No one sees the objective truth; they all view the banquet through different eyes. To some it is wonderful and to others it's a chore. Some feel they belong, and others feel like outsiders. Some try too hard to fit in, and others fit in without trying at all. But the same banquet, the same bounteous opportunity, is offered to all. Some partake of the gifts that are offered, and others reject them.

How clearly can you see the opportunities and abundance being offered to you daily by a kind and caring universe? Do you accept these offerings or reject them? When something isn't to your liking, how do you respond?

Everyone has been given an invitation to the banquet. What will you do with yours?