The Parable of the King and His Children

There was once a King. This king had many sons and daughters that he loved very dearly. His children were the princes and princesses, and were loved by all the people in the land. The king knew that one day his children would be kings and queens and would rule the kingdom, but first they needed to endure the test that proved whether a person was worthy to be a King or Queen. The King wanted all of his sons and daughters to return but knew that this may not happen. They had to make the choice on their own with no pressure from their father as to which path to take.

The kingdom was on the top of the highest mountain in the land. The royal children left the kingdom and passed through a fog that was present along the edges of the mountain. The fog would erase their memories or who they were and what their task was to be. They would have a form of amnesia that they would have to overcome to return. When the children passed through the fog, some of it remained to cloud their mind and memories as to where they were going or where they came from. They could not remember each other when they arrived in the neighboring land.

The princes and princesses awoke in a strange valley where they did not know each other. Their surroundings were unfamiliar. The language that was spoken was hard to understand and would have to be learned to find out where they were. Some of the children were accepted and helped by kindly villagers. Others were left to fend for themselves in a dark forest.

The children grew to learn about the land they were in and learned the language of the village or the forest. Some did well in the village and others did not. They wanted to live in the forest and run wild. There were some in the forest that wanted to live in the village away from the darkness.

The children in the village were taught about the kingdom they had come from. About their father, the King , that was waiting for their return with open arms when it is determined that they are ready for the great responsibility of being a King or Queen.

The children in the forest were taught other things. They were taught to deceive each other, not listen to the people from the village, to look out only for themselves and many other confusing things.

Some of the children in the village would sneak or wander off into the forest and get lost, forgetting the path back to the village.

While at the same time, there were children of the forest that would see the beautiful light coming from the village and wanted to be a part of it. The knight reminded them of something they had forgotten and wanted to know more about. The King sent his assistant to prompt the children when they began to forget the path. This assistant could not be seen but could be felt. Some of them needed help to find their way to the village. There would be tests along their way that might hold them back from the village for a while.

The village would send out people that knew the pathway well enough to help teach and guide the people who wanted to live in or return to the village. These guides were experienced enough to learn the pathway to the village and knew what was needed for the princes and princesses to return to the King for they were also royal children. They taught the children of a Prince that livced in the village a long time ago and taught all how to return to the King. Some did not like his teachings and some did. The guides taught that the children needed to follow the elder prince's example.

The children were given a map that anyone could own. This map would help guide them on the path when the guides were not around. The guides taught that the first step that the children needed to follow so they could return to the King, was to enter the fountain in the center of the village. A guide would go in with them. By doing this, they would be cleansed of any wrong choices they may have made before they learned who they were. They needed to be clean and pure as they began to prepare for the time they would make the journey home. The guides also taught that the children should live the rules of the village they had been taught and when they were ready, they would be allowed to attend a special building were they would learn more about returning to the presence of their Father, the King.

There were some of the royal children that were lost along they way and did not make it back. There were some that came close and almost made it. Maybe they were confused or just hadn't been found by the village guides. Some hid so as not top be found. Others loved the life of the dark forest and wanted to remain there, forgetting what they were there for.

There were other princes and princesses that wanted to return to their father, the King, and stayed in the village to prepare. They were cleansed in the fountain and attended the lessons in the special building. They were able to leave behind the darkness of the forest to return to the village in preparation for the kingdom they would receive when they returned to the King.

Not all of the King's children returned which made him very sad, but he was happy for the ones that found their way back to the home they had left in the kingdom on the mountain.

The kingdom on the mountain is heaven. The King is Heavenly Father and the elder prince is our elder brother, Jesus Christ. We are the royal children that came to earth to be tested. The fog is the veil we passed through on our way here. The village is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The guides along the way are parents, teachers, missionaries and others that teach the way to return home to our Heavenly Father. The map the children received is the scriptures. The special building is the temple. The fountain the children needed to enter is the waters of baptism. And the assistant the King sent is the Holy Ghost.

We come to earth with no memories of our pre-earth life. We have been given many people and things to help us along the way. We have been given our free agency to be allowed to choose for ourselves which path. we will take to return to our Father in Heaven and many people to guide us on our way back.

(I have added this last part on if I was giving this talk at a baptism)

This person has made the choice to be baptized like the faithful children in the village. She is taking a very important step in her life. Jesus also took this same step so that He could return to his Father in Heaven.

Read Matthew 3:13-17

As this person comes out of the waters of baptism, Heavenly Father must be saying: "This is my beloved daughter, in whom I am well pleased."

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