In this quaint small town, out in the plains of Iowa, the town leaders … -- Image by Brad on Unsplash
A Modern Retelling of "The Persistent Widow"
In this quaint small town. Out in the plains of Iowa, the town leaders were so proud of their new park. They spared no expense to make it the best, with baseball diamonds, a festival area, an amphitheater, and an enormous playground. Conveniently, it is located by the Rodeo Grounds.
In downtown, there was an ignored problem, a pothole on Main Street so deep you could lose a hubcap — and half your suspension — in it. Everyone grumbled to each other at the market, the coffee hub, and at church, but no one went to the town leaders to get them to fix it.
But there was only one exasperated person who actually did something about it: Meet Mrs. Janet Thompson. She was a retired schoolteacher, a feisty five feet tall, seventy years old, a recent widow, and powered entirely by determination and strong, bold coffee.
Frustrated with the town leadership, every morning, she called City Hall.
"Good morning, Public Works," they'd say.
"About that pothole," she'd reply.
At first, they gave polite answers. "We're working on it." "It's on the list." "We'll get to it soon." But Janet felt like she was talking to her 5th-grade students about why the homework assignment was not complete. She was persistent about them getting their homework done on time. That persistence was her calling. She kept calling, every day, rain or shine.
Along with the calls, she sent eloquently prepared emails. Each included a photo of the pothole and an image of the damaged cars. It still fell on deaf ears. They were too busy with pats on the back about the park.
Hell has no fury compared to a feisty five-foot-tall retired school teacher on fire. She visited the City Hall daily and wanted to know why nothing had been done to correct this issue. Pictures of the damaged cars and the pothole always accompanied her. It got to the point that the receptionist learned to hide when she walked in.
Weeks turned into months. The city council tried to move on to bigger things, the upcoming rodeo, top musicians for the music in the park, but, much to their chagrin, there was Janet at every meeting: "Fix the pothole!"
Finally, one morning, the mayor himself showed up at the council chambers, exasperated from the phone calls, emails, and visits. "For heaven's sake, just fix the pothole so this woman will stop!"
By noon, a crew was out on Main Street. Fresh asphalt filled the crater, and cars passed smoothly over it for the first time in years.
Janet watched from the sidewalk table at the coffee hub, her favorite strong, bold coffee in hand, a small smile tugging at her lips. She didn't gloat, even with everyone thanking her. She sipped her coffee and thought, "No one in the City Council, not the mayor, and definitely not the other office workers were in any of my 5th-grade classes."
Based on Luke 18:1-8
Synopsis:
In the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus tells of a woman who keeps demanding justice until the judge finally gives in. The point is clear: persistence in prayer — and in pursuing what is right — is powerful. If even reluctant judges give in, how much more will God hear those who don't give up?
Tap to read the actual bible passage:
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
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