Do you like to do things all by yourself? Sometimes that’s okay, but sometimes you need help from someone else.
This is a story about a little boy named Malachi. I have seven children, and the last one, Malachi, wants to be big, like all the rest. He just turned three, and like most three-year-olds, he tries to be as independent as
he can!
We were on vacation, walking on a beach in Brazil when we decided to climb up some large rocks. Malachi began walking in front of me and I said, “Malachi, hold my hand so I can help you!”
He said, “No, Mommy. I can do it all by myself!”
I said, “Malachi, you need to hold my hand, or you could fall.”
He looked at me and said, “I not fall! See?” And he kept walking. He climbed a rock and stood on the top. “See, Mommy? I not fall, I not fall! See? I not fall! I’m big!”
I said, “Be careful; you are going to fall!”
Malachi didn’t listen. He kept going from one rock to another. He was really excited and proud of himself for climbing rocks all by himself and not falling. But finally we came to a huge rock which his daddy and older brothers and sisters began climbing. Malachi tried to get to the large rock with the family, when all of a sudden, he slid. Bang! He was flat on his face.
“WAAAHHH!!!!” he started screaming loudly. When he lifted his face up out of the rocks and dirt, his mouth was full of blood. Immediately I remembered the verse, “Pride [goes] before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:1818Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)). He had gotten a warning. I had told him to hold my hand so he wouldn’t fall ... but he was proud and wanted to do things all
by himself.
Oh, boys and girls, as you go through life, you will have lots of decisions to make. The Bible 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)). Listen to your parents. Obey what they say. If you don’t have parents, perhaps you can find someone who loves the Lord Jesus who you can learn from. Best of all, the Lord Jesus wants to walk by your side and hold your hand your entire life. He wants to be your best friend. Don’t become proud and think you can do life all by yourself. No one can! We all need the Lord Jesus to keep us safe, no matter how old
we are.
Messages of God’s Love 6/11/2023