The Parable of the Pineapple: There’s something better than what you are experiencing.

Have you ever heard the parable of the pineapple? No? I guess it isn’t one you will find in the scriptures but it is one that might help you find yourself in the scriptures. Let me share it with you before I get too far ahead of myself.

The Parable of the Pineapple

It was never a struggle to get my daughter to eat her fruit and vegetables. Her favorite place to eat was anywhere that had a salad bar where she could have as much fruit and vegetables as she wanted.

She loved every fruit I offered her except one, pineapple. As she got older I kept offering her pineapple figuring she would grow out of her distaste for it. She always refused it saying how disgusting it was.

One evening I was asked to come talk about healthy eating habits with her church youth group. They had lots of different fruits and vegetables there. The girls were going to learn good ways to prepare and eat them. Yes, the unfairly hated pineapple was on the menu.

I taught the girls how to cut and serve a pineapple and they all happily scooped portions onto their plates. My daughter looked at everyone in confusion as they talked about how delicious pineapple was. She voiced her distaste and the peer pressure began.

They all begged her to just try it. I could see her starting to crack but I kept quiet. She agreed to taste one bite. She stood close to a trash can ready to spit it out if necessary. Everyone watched her pick up a piece of pineapple as if it was a cockroach and carefully place it in her mouth.

She didn’t spit it out so that was a good sign. “Oh my goodness! Pineapple is delicious! Why didn’t you ever tell me how good it was mom?” She gave me a disapproving look as she filled up her plate.

You’ve got to be kidding me right? “I’ve tried to get you to eat pineapple for the last 15 years of your life. What are you talking about?“

As I questioned her I discovered that the first time she had ever eaten pineapple it was a piece of canned pineapple from a fruit cocktail. Gag. Because that was her first experience with pineapple she decided all pineapple tasted that gross.

On the drive home she still couldn’t get over how wrong she was about pineapple despite my many efforts to get her to try it. “I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on pineapple all these years!”

Are you basing your opinion on a canned experience?

Now let me interpret this little parable. What in your life have you dismissed as unappealing because your experiences with it were not so great or in other words, “canned?” What do other people seem to enjoy and try to convince you is amazing but you just don’t see it?

How would you describe your experience with scripture study, prayer, personal revelation, temple/family history work, church worship, miracles? Do you keep hearing stories of how wonderful these things are for some people and wonder why you’ve never seen the same thing?

Have you decided scripture study is fruitless, personal revelation is few and far between, temple/family history is confusing, church is boring or miracles are for other people?

Have you prematurely made the decision that something just doesn’t work for you? Are you hesitant to try it again or to open your heart to more because you don’t want the same distasteful disappointment?

I promise that no matter where you are at there is something out there that is sweeter than what you’ve got now. If you’ve already decided that what you have is as good as it gets, you are missing out.

Don’t realize it too late and end up saying, “I can’t believe I’ve been missing out all these years.” Try it again. Try it with the new hope and perspective that time has given you. Taste the fruit.

I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof, and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. As I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy.

1 Nephi 8:11-12

Thanks for sharing!!!