There was a Baker who once created a loaf of bread. And while he was working the ingredients together, rolling the dough and baking it, he worked and poured all of his love into the mixture, for he was no ordinary baker and truly loved his work and loved his life.{more}
One day, a bit of bread in one of the Baker’s loaves opened his eyes and looked around and marvelled because he saw other bits of bread doing the same thing.
“How did I get here?” he asked himself and “Where did I come from?” for he didn’t remember anything before his eyes opened, nor did any of the other bits of bread have an answer when he asked them. Some of the other bits of bread simply answered, “What does it matter, where I come from? I am here and I am alive. This is all that is important.” and they were content.
This wasn’t a good enough answer to the bit of bread who felt that there was more to the story than simply ‘to be’. He started searching his world of bread, looking for answers to the unease he felt inside and eventually came across some other bits of bread also looking for the answers to the same questions.
Some of the bits of bread had built marvellous machines, made of bread of course, which helped them look very closely at the world around them. Everywhere they looked they could see the flour and water and salt and the gaps in between in the tiniest detail. But when they reached the crust of the bread and looked outward they saw nothing. Little did they know that machines made of bread cannot see anything other than the remnants of the flour and water and salt and will never see the Baker’s kitchen. Nor could these machines tell why some bits of bread seemed alive and others were not.
The bit of bread was not satisfied with what those with machines found and continued his search and came across even more others that also had the same questions as he.
Some of these bits of bread had a belief of a Creator and worshipped Him and were content.
Others seemed to have different abilites such as telling the future of other bits of bread and were content.
Others used their thoughts and made wonderful stories about the world and where they came from and were content.
None of them actually knew the answer to the questions and so the bit of bread continued looking.
Eventually he came across a small group that said, “Welcome. We can see that you are looking for the answers to the unease you feel inside.”
Because our bit of bread was growing weary of searching, he did not trust that these bits of bread had an answer to his questions, nor did he trust why they were so welcoming.
However, to his surprise they continued, “The reason you are here is an easy answer for us to tell you, but don’t take our word for it. It is better for you if we show you how to find the answer for yourself, because we can also see that you are weary from searching.”
And so, the bit of bread listened to the words of the other bits of bread and was astonished, for what they had to tell him was simply this:
“You are not made of bread and what you think are your eyes are not your eyes at all. You are a spark of love that needs to wake up and stop being ‘just’ bread. If you begin to pay attention to your thoughts and feelings you will gain new eyes, eyes that will let you see the Baker’s kitchen. If you work even harder you can return and recombine with the love of the Baker and avoid being consumed.
“The other bits of bread you see here are engaged in the process of doing just this. Occasionally, one of us will reach the goal and then return with more clear information on how they did it.”
And so, the bit of bread looked inside himself and marvelled. And was shocked at what he found. And then he marvelled even more. Occasionally, he would gain glimpses of the kitchen he was told about and he then knew what these other bits of bread were saying was true. He only saw a vague outline of the Baker himself because his eyes were not strong yet, but could feel in himself this thing called Love increasing and he could tell that it came from the Baker.
And now he could stop looking outside in the world of bread because he now knew that the search for answers came from within. He could now ‘just be’ and live a life, looking like a normal bit of bread, but with a very deep meaning behind it all because every day his love increased.
And every day he marvelled even more.