“Come here, young man!”
Willy liked to be called a young man, and he stopped on the way to school to see who called him. It was a man standing by a heavy grindstone. He was going to sharpen his axe, but he needed three hands. He needed one to turn the grindstone and two to hold the axe to sharpen it.
“This is a heavy grindstone,” said the man. “Can you turn it?”
Of course Willy could. After all, he was 12 years old.
“Faster!” said the man. “What a big, strong boy you are!”
It was hard work, but not too hard for a big, strong 12-year-old. Certainly not.
“Faster,” repeated the man after he stopped to check the sharp edge of his axe.
“What a strong boy you are! You’re a champion!”
Willy was sweating with the effort, but he had never been called a champion before. He spun the heavy grindstone till he was out of breath and his muscles ached. Finally the axe was sharp enough.
“Get off to school now, or you’ll be late.” And the man laughed at him.
Yes, Willy was late for school. And when his friends found out the reason, they laughed at him too.
“You were a fool,” they said. “All that hard work, and he didn’t even pay you! And then you got yelled at for being late.”
Willy liked being told he was big and strong and a champion. But in the end, it only made him unhappy. Christian boys and girls, sometimes classmates or friends will praise you and tell you that you are really good at a certain activity, and that makes you feel good. But they may want you to do it for them when it would be wrong. Then it becomes sin and will only make you and the Lord Jesus unhappy. Proverbs 1:1010My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. (Proverbs 1:10) is a good reminder: “My son [or daughter], if sinners entice thee, consent thou not [say no].” Then you will please the Lord Jesus and be more than a champion and a conqueror. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:3737Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8:37)).
ML-11/05/1995