New Parables to Ponder: 12 Stories to Spark Spiritual Questions

The Parable of the Shoemaker

"Where did you get those shoes?"

It was supposed to be a simple question for my friend, Evangeline. Sometimes it's the simple questions that get you into the most trouble.

"These are the most amazing shoes I have ever owned in my entire life!" I wasn't surprised by Eva's answer. She is known to exaggerate, but there was something different in her tone this time - something sincere. She was glowing with joy. "These shoes are from Avi Hebel. They're hand made with the finest materials from around the world. These are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. But the best part is that every pair of Avi's shoes comes with a lifetime warranty – even from regular wear and tear!"

The "Avi Hebel" brand makes me think of my grandfather. He had a pair that he wore every day. I remember as a kid, one summer he even wore them on the beach. I laughed at how silly he looked in fancy shoes walking through the sand. He just smiled at me unfazed by what I thought. Even though many people still own a pair of Avi Hebel shoes, it's rare to see them on the streets. It's the kind of shoe that only leaves the closet for a wedding or a funeral. But Eva's shoes are different. I never knew Avi Hebel shoes could look that good. They still had that classic style, but there was a modern elegance in the design that I can't quite describe.

The day after meeting with Eva, there's still a nagging curiosity about her shoes. I needed to check out Avi Hebel shoes for myself.

First, I checked out their website. It's stylish and beautiful, but you can't buy any shoes online. The website only tells you where you can buy Avi Hebel shoes locally.

The closest store is down the street, but it's one of the older locations. Just by looking at the picture of the store you can tell that it's an outdated shop only my grandparents would go to.

There's a new store downtown that I went to instead. They sell a little bit of everything, but I could only find a small selection of Avi Hebel shoes. They have the seasonal styles that were advertised on the website, but I couldn't find anything like what Eva was wearing. I didn't get to look for long before one of the workers approached me. She was polite, but a little bit pushy trying to make a sale. When I explained that the store didn't have the style I wanted, she told me about the local Avi Hebel distributor. If there's a place to find shoes like Eva's, they should be there.

Oddly, the Avi Hebel distributor is only open to the public on weekends and for special events. I decided to visit on a Sunday since they were hosting a product launch event. Maybe in the large crowd I could just sneak in, find the shoes, and sneak back out without wasting too much of my weekend. The Avi Hebel building is so big the only place it fits is by the airport near all the other large corporate offices. When I arrived, there was a line of cars just to get into the parking lot. They even had to employ a small army of parking attendants just to keep it organized. After parking, I snuck my way through the crowds to avoid all the Avi Hebel representatives. They seemed nice, but I didn't really feel like hearing their corporate jargon. On the outside, the Avil Hebel distributor looked like a large, modern office building. The inside had an open floor plan with a contemporary industrial décor. I could see a wide selection of Avi Hebel shoes in a storefront on the far side of the mezzanine, but all the visitors were being herded into an auditorium for a short presentation. It looked like most of the people came here a lot. I never knew the Avi Hebel brand had such a rabid fan base. I took a seat on the aisle in the back just in case I needed to escape, but the presentation turned out to be an enjoyable show. There was a live band playing as people walked in. Next they showed a promotional video about how the Avi Hebel Company gives back to the community. The presentation ended with a speech by the CEO, Avi's own son Adam Hebel. Adam was a very energetic and engaging man. His charisma alone could persuade you to buy a pair of shoes. Adam was excited to talk about their warehouse on the other side of town that could double distribution at a cheaper price. He ended the show with the latest designs and the seasonal colors. The shoes did look great, but none of them looked like Eva's shoes. When the presentation was finally over, I ran to the store I saw on my way in. The worker was polite but pushy in a way that was so eerily similar to the worker at my local store. Maybe it's part of their sales training? But it was worth it. The selection of shoes was amazing. I quickly found three pairs to try on. The first pair was a classic black. My normal shoe size was way too tight. I tried the next size up but it was way too loose. The next pair of shoes was a dark gray boot that laced up the side in a cool pattern. Again I tried a couple sizes, but none of them fit right. But I saved the best pair for last. It was a leather shoe that perfectly mixed classic with modern. I loved the hints of red in the leather that made the shoe seem to shine. Again the sizing wasn't great, but the shoe looked so good that I had to buy the pair.