There are so many great images in Psalm 118, It was hard to select just one for this fable. It is a song of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for his mercy and protection. This is the psalm that inspired the events on Palm Sunday. It also contains the prophetic words that Jesus quotes in a parable about his death in Matthew 21:42, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone…” Finally, it is the psalm that we pray in joyful celebration of Easter: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!”
The Rejected Brick
A group of men were building a brick patio in the back of a home for a nice family. They laid each brick side by side and flattened the patio for the family to sit and enjoy each other’s company.
The workers were very proud of their work. They only used the best bricks for the project. So, when one of the workers found a brick with a chip broken off of the corner, he cast it aside and forgot about it. It laid half-buried in the dirt nearby.
The youngest boy in the family saw the men building the patio and wanted start a building project of his own. He decided to build himself a fort in the back yard. He gathered tree branches and sticks to build his fort, but it frequently fell down during the night. He woke up in the mornings to see his fort in shambles and he was very sad.
He spent a lot of time thinking about how he could make that fort stronger. He was walking through the backyard one day when he tripped over the brick that the worker had cast aside. He picked it up and had an idea. He rushed over to the fort and laid the brick in the ground.
Later that day the men came back to finish the patio. The boy worked up some courage to talk to them.
“Sirs,” he said. “Do you have any more broken bricks to spare?”
“Sure, son,” said one of the workers. “We have lots. If you would like, I can drop them off later today.”
The worker returned later with many broken and disfigured bricks. The boy was filled with joy. With those bricks he created a foundation and floor for his fort. The walls were fortified by bricks and much sturdier now. The fort made it through the nights without falling down.
He spent many days playing in the fort he built from the rejected bricks. He was always grateful for that first brick. It made him smile every time he looked it.
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. . . This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”
Psalm 118:23, 24
Reflection Questions
- Why did the builders reject some of the bricks?
- What are some things that make you different from other people?
- What weaknesses do you have that you can offer up to the Lord to turn into strengths?
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