Brandon was a brave boy, but there were two things that frightened him. One of them was their neighbor's dogs, King and Spitz. They were always kept chained to their doghouses, but they growled and snarled whenever Brandon went near them. They weren't nice like his own dogs.
Brandon was afraid of what might happen if they ever got loose and chased him through the fields and caught him. Just thinking about it would send shivers of fright down his spine. The other thing that scared Brandon was Buttons, the pony that belonged to his sisters.
If you didn't know Buttons you would think he was the cutest, most adorable and gentle pony around. Little, shaggy old Buttons had lots of people fooled... but not Brandon. Buttons might have looked cute, but Brandon didn't trust him. He wouldn't get close to Buttons unless his father was with him. Buttons wouldn't dare misbehave when his father was around, and Brandon knew this.
Sometimes when Brandon and his father were near Buttons, Brandon would see Buttons watching him, and he thought he knew what Buttons was thinking-"You wait, little boy; one of these times you'll be all alone, and I'll catch you and teach you a lesson for being smaller than I am." Brandon's sisters were all bigger and older than he was, and they always got along fine with Buttons.
One day when his father was in the house and his brother and sisters had gone shopping with their mother, Brandon was playing with his toy trucks in the backyard. Buttons had a fenced-in corral where he was kept. Brandon didn't think he had anything to worry about, so he was busy playing.
Suddenly, Brandon got the feeling that someone was looking at him. Turning around he saw Buttons just a few feet behind him. Brandon was terrified! He quickly stood up and started walking backwards, never taking his eyes off Buttons who was walking steadily toward him. Brandon tried to call for help, but his mouth was dry and words wouldn't come out. He kept walking backwards, not daring to run for fear he would be trampled. Then he backed up smack against the fence. Buttons had him cornered!
Buttons walked right up to Brandon (who had never been so frightened in his life before), opened his mouth and bit Brandon right on the chest, ripping his shirt and scraping his skin. Then Buttons turned and walked away.
When Brandon's father heard what had happened he gave Buttons a good clout on the nose and put him back in the corral, firmly closing the gate that had been left open.
Buttons reminds us of Satan. Satan, our enemy, is always waiting to corner us one way or another. He is just watching until we let our guard down. Brandon's father wasn't around when Buttons cornered him and bit him. But the Lord Jesus is always there to help us right away when we have a problem. If the Lord Jesus is your Savior you only have to call Him and He will hear you, even if you are so scared you have lost your voice. In the Bible He tells us, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee." Psa. 50:1515And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. (Psalm 50:15).
Wouldn't you like to have the Lord Jesus as your Savior? You can; it's easy. Just tell Him you know you are a sinner, and trust Him to forgive your sins. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).