Summer evenings sometimes can be very hot, especially if you don’t have air conditioning in your house. Jill and Elaine lived across the street from each other, and neither of them lived in an air-conditioned home. They did not have a swimming pool in their backyard, either.
One hot, sticky evening Jill and Elaine were walking home together through the park behind Elaine’s house. Passing the town’s public swimming pool (which was closed at night), Elaine suddenly had an idea.
“Jill, what would happen if we got caught climbing the fence to the pool?”
Jill laughed. “I don’t know. I think they make you pay a fine or something.”
“It would be worth it on a hot night like this!” Elaine exclaimed.
So feeling adventuresome, the two girls hurried home to get their bathing suits. With clothes on over their bathing suits, no one at home was suspicious when Jill and Elaine said they were going jogging.
Once outside the girls decided to improve on the idea. The public pool was on a well-lighted street, but there was a private swim club a short way through the woods at the end of their street. So that’s where they headed instead, deciding there would be less chance of getting caught.
The woods were pitch black except for thousands of fireflies glowing in the air, trees and bushes. Rustling noises in the dark kept the girls slightly jumpy as they picked their way along the narrow path.
The eerie light and sound of electric bug-zappers around the deserted pool broke the still night air as Jill and Elaine approached the swim club. To their dismay they found that two feet of barbed wire had been added recently above the high fence surrounding the pool. It would be risky to climb over.
Barbed wire was not going to stop Jill and Elaine, at least not yet, anyway. They began looking for a good place to climb over the fence. As they tiptoed between the fence and the woods, they heard a scurrying sound and a small skunk ran out from under the trees and stood in their path. Jill froze! Elaine whispered, “Let’s go around the other way!”
The girls turned and started to go back, but another skunk ran past and went under the fence. It stopped beside the pool and waited. Jill and Elaine tried to sneak by, hoping to get away quickly, but suddenly the skunk came rushing back under the fence and blocked their way.
This time Elaine shouted at the skunk, “Move it, skunk!” Startled, the skunk ran away. Jill and Elaine ran too, as fast as they could—not through the woods this time, where a whole family of skunks was probably lurking, but around by way of some back roads. They were relieved to get back home!
Sometimes God puts up “roadblocks” to keep us from going the wrong way, as He used the skunks to keep Jill and Elaine from breaking the rules by trying to climb over the fence to the pool. He does this because He loves us. Before we are saved He puts up roadblocks so we will turn to Him.
The Bible says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity [sin] of us all.” Isa. 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6). Sin is going our own way, doing what we want, not following God’s way. The Lord Jesus took on Himself all the punishment for the sins of those who accept Him as their Saviour. Now, because God loves you and me, He wants us to come to the Lord Jesus, believing that we need to be saved from sin, and accepting Him as the only one who can save us. Do this right now and you will have not only a Saviour, but a Friend and Guide who will lead you through every day of your life, helping you to do what is right.
ML-08/12/1984