It was picture perfect in any season, whether in winter with snow-covered mountains and horse-drawn carriages bedecked with jingling bells and plaid blankets, or in spring with golden slopes of fragrant, yellow blossoms and lush trees hosting all the nest-makers for their annual songfest.

However, in this idyllic community, an affliction plagued the residents. They were, how shall I put it…holey. Yes, they had holes in them.

Walking the streets of this charming hamlet, as the Holeyvillians shopped and went to church and school, some could be seen with more holes in them than others. The adults displayed more holes than the children did, while babies and young children had no holes at all.

You see, the king decreed the laws of his kingdom and when a person ignored or disobeyed them, behold, a hole appeared in the person’s body as a penalty for failing to carry out the king’s wishes.

Many of those with holes were ashamed their lack of discipline became so visible. Some attempted to remedy the situation themselves by covering the holes with bandaids or patches.

However, some citizens didn’t like the king and pretended he didn’t exist. They did not obey his laws and didn’t understand that the affliction of holes related to their disobedience. They even scoffed at others who tried to explain it to them.

Of course, these villagers strutted the streets with pride in their holes. When the winds of adversity blew through the village, they blew through the holey ones as well, almost blowing them away. They had difficulty standing firm. These lived out their lives never being made whole.

The king put his edicts in place in order to make life more pleasant for all the kingdom dwellers. He loved all his subjects, even those who were disobedient, and wanted the best for them all. He wanted to make his kingdom a beautiful and welcoming place not only for all the townspeople but also for all those who visited.

In order to have the holes rectified and be made whole, each holey person appeared before the king to ask him to remove the holes. Even the ones with bandaids. The king was fair and just and granted pardon to all who asked him, filling in all their holes.

Many times, those who were hole-less walked through the village with big smiles on their faces. Why? Because they were made whole again.

They desired to give thanks to the king by the way they lived and to make his kingdom a better place to live for everyone. They wanted to be holy, not holey!