A Flimsy Net

Elliot looked out the kitchen window. It had rained all morning, but now the sun was shining brightly. The leaves on the big tree outside were golden and seemed to glow in the sunlight. If only those leaves could be turned into real gold, thought Elliot. Then Mom and I could solve all our problems. He sighed. He couldn't help worrying now that his mom had lost her job. Things had already been tight before--how would they manage now? Turning toward his mother, he asked, "What are we going to do about money, Mom?" "Don't you worry about that," said Mom. "I have a bit saved up, and I'm sure I'll find another job soon. There are lots of jobs available in the medical field."As Mom stood beside Elliot at the window, several sparrows swooped down and perched on the volleyball net someone had set up in the courtyard of their apartment building. Under the weight of the birds, the net sagged and swayed in the wind. Soon the thin, weak poles that supported the net became uprooted, and everything crashed to the ground. Elliot and Mom watched as the frightened birds flew away."You know, Elliot," said Mom, "that flimsy net is like money and material things. When we count on them to hold us up in times of trouble, they always fail, just like that net failed those birds. Aren't you glad we can count on someone who never fails?""You mean God, don't you?" said Elliot."That's right," said Mom. "I'm thinking of a verse you learned at camp this summer--the one about birds. Do you remember it?""About birds?" Elliot thought about it. "I think I remember. We learned Matthew 6:26, which says, 'Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?'"Mom nodded. "God takes care of the birds, and He'll provide for our needs too. Jesus has already provided for our biggest need of all by saving us from sin and giving us eternal life. Because of that, He is always with us, and we can trust Him to take care of us."Elliot smiled. "I'm glad He never fails." – Dorothy R. King