A Simple Story…By Karen DeBeus

There was once a little boy, who always wanted more toys.  He had so many that he could hardly play with them all, and when he did, he never really enjoyed it.  He was always looking for the next best thing…

There was another boy, in a cabin down the road, and all he had was, well, nothing.  Nothing at all to play with.  But each day when his chores were done, he would go outside and climb the trees…pretend to be in a jungle…then he’d run through the meadow with his arms outstretched, and he was an airplane!  Then he would tumble down the hill and land among the flowers, and he basked in their beauty and thought about whoever created them….they must have been as beautiful themselves, to create something so lovely.

In the evenings, this boy was so tired from all of his activities during the day.  He had done so much.  So he lay down to sleep.

One day the first little boy got angry at his mom for not buying him his latest treasure.  “I’ll run away!” he screamed as though to punish his mom.  He ran down the road and just when he thought he’d gone too far, he really should turn around, he saw this old cabin.

His curiosity got the best of him and he peeked inside and saw the sleeping boy.  He was very curious as this boy had the face of someone he wanted to know…he had a glow about him of a happiness he had never known.

So he waited until the boy woke up.  He asked the boy, “Do you have treasures? You look so happy. You must have a great treasure.”

The boy replied, “I do. I have this whole world outside my door, and each day is a new adventure.”

The boy looked outside, and all he saw was a tree, a hill, and some flowers.

“But where? There is nothing adventurous out there.”

The boy replied, “My world is what I  make of it. Someone created this world for me, and I make the most of it each day.”

“Well,” the other boy replied, “I have nothing at my house.  No one created anything for me.  My mom keeps buying me things but they are never what I want. I want more.”

So the boy decided to go to the first boy’s house and see just what was there.  To his amazement, as he walked up the road, there was a huge house. And when he walked in, it was filled with stuff. Toys of every kind. He couldn’t even see outside of the windows; there were piles everywhere.

He asked the boy,” What is it like outside your window? Do you have a tree, a hill, or a meadow?”

“I don’t know.” the first boy replied.  “I have never seen out the window. The piles are too high.”

So the boys decided to work together, removing the piles of stuff so they could find what was out the back windows.

It took many days, then the days turned into months, but finally a beam of light shone through the window…in their excitement the boys raced to see what was outside the window.

To their amazement, there was not a hill…but many! Beautiful green hills, rolling all around.  And there was not a tree, but thousands.  With fruits of every kind. And oh, so fragrant!  Then there were fields of flowers, of every kind.  It was almost too great a site to see.  It was more beautiful than anything either boy could have imagined.

They dashed to the door.  But it was locked.  On the lock was a note.  It said,
“You have had this beauty outside all along.  But you could not see it, for your piles of earthly things were too high.  They covered the windows.  Now you must promise to keep the windows clear.  Keep your eyes looking out the windows each day.  Never forget what is out here, or you may quickly pile up more stuff again.”


If you can do these things, you may come outside and enjoy my creation.


Never have so much stuff inside that you can not see what has been here all along.  I AM in these hills, and these trees, and these meadows.  I created it all, and it is mine.  Live out here, and not inside with all of your things.  This beauty provides more enjoyment than anything inside.”

The boy never wanted to go back inside again. He wanted to live amongst the creation and was very sad that all these years he had missed out.


Yet, he was glad, so glad, that at that moment the Creator revealed Himself.  And he promised then that he would always live for Him.