How pretty!” shouted little Sam, as his fat little hand grasped a cluster of white lilacs which grew near the front gate. The next moment Sam’s face grew red with fright, and he dashed the flowers to the ground, shrieking, “It stings, it stings!”
What made it sting? It was a bright, beautiful, sweet-smelling flower. How could it hurt the child’s hand? I will tell you.
A busy little bee, in search of some honey, had just pushed his nose in among the lilac blossoms, and was sucking the nectar from it, when Sammy’s fat hand disturbed him. In a moment, he drove his sharp sting into the child’s hand.
When Sammy’s mother had dried his tears, and comforted him, she said: “Now, my boy, let this teach you a lesson. Many pretty things have very sharp stings.”
Let every child make a note of this. “Many pretty things have very sharp stings.” It may save you from being stung if you remember it,
The Bible says, “The sting of death is sin.” You may not think of sin as something very ugly and hateful, for Satan has made it appear very pretty, just as he did to Eve in the garden of Eden. Eve saw that the fruit of the forbidden tree was “pleasant to the eyes” but she didn’t see the sting of sin that went with it Every boy and girl has been stung by sin, and the only remedy is the blood of Jesus. You know you have sinned so why not go to Jesus just as you are and He will cleanse you. And then remember that many pretty things have sharp stings!
ML 11/12/1950