It was summertime, and a Sunday school picnic was planned for Saturday.
Andy’s family looked forward to the planned activities, especially the children.
There were many activities for everyone to enjoy. One was a water slide that gave a fast ride that ended with a splash into a pond, and there was also a paddleboard on the same pond. It was all so much fun, and Andy and his sister Julie had such a good time.
But good times always seem to end too quickly. And that’s how Andy felt when his dad said that it was time for their family to go home. Andy was disappointed they had to leave, so he asked his dad if he could please stay in the pond a little longer. His dad said, “No,” but Andy kept asking, and each time he asked, he got the same answer, until his dad reluctantly said, “All right.”
Andy headed right for the paddleboard, but his sister headed for it too. They were fighting over who would get to use it. Intending to get to the paddleboard first, Andy jumped off the raft, but as he jumped, his foot caught on rusted nails on the side of the raft.
“OOOOOH—OOOOOUCH!” And, of course, he landed in the water, but he knew he had quite a nasty gash on his foot, and it hurt like crazy! He was wearing a life vest, which kept him floating in the water while Julie ran to get help.
His parents took him right to the hospital where a doctor checked it over, cleaned it up and bandaged up his foot. But along with that, he also had to have a tetanus shot. That’s what wounds from rusty nails require.
Once they were home, Andy sat thinking about how much his foot hurt. And then he realized it was all his own fault, and maybe the Lord Jesus was teaching him a lesson about obeying his parents the first time they say “no.”
For all you boys and girls reading this story, it’s a good lesson to think about. God has given your parents the wisdom to know when to say “yes” and when to say “no.” And He has also given us the verse in the Bible that says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Ephesians 6:11Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (Ephesians 6:1)). That’s what you should always do. I’m sure Andy is going to be more careful to obey that verse from now on.
ML-09/13/2015