A few years ago, I was talking to the Pastor of a church, where I was invited to speak on their Women’s Sunday. He asked me whether I remembered him. I did not remember meeting him any time earlier. So, he asked me about the occasion when I was speaking at a Vacation Bible School (VBS) final day programme, in Navi Mumbai and the story I had told on that day. Of course, then I remembered. He said, he was one of the Senior Class students in that VBS and that he gave his life over to Jesus that day. I was obviously delighted to hear his words. I want to tell you that story.
Once upon a time, there was a kite. Rohan, a little boy, was its owner. Rohan would fly his kite every day and the kite really enjoyed flying. Gradually, Rohan became an expert at flying kites and he could fly it high in the sky; the kite became very excited and enjoyed it thoroughly. Things were going on well for a few days. Then one day, while flying high up in the air, the kite looked up and thought: “How nice it would be, if I could go further up, above all the other kites around me.” He tried to go up, but he felt being pulled down by a string. He became very angry and said to himself: “Oh, this string; this string is the hindrance to my ultimate joy. If only I could be free of this string, I could fly into the heaven itself.” He detested the string, which was holding him down. From that day, the kite became very sad. It started thinking of ways to somehow get free of that string. Though Rohan was flying his kite every day, the kite did not enjoy it any more.
Then one day, while up in the air, in its eagerness for the freedom, the kite pulled with all its strength, and surprisingly, this time, the string snapped and at last, he became free! But his joy and excitement were very short-lived. To his utter horror, he found himself going down and down, instead of soaring up into heaven. The slow descent finally ended in a puddle of muddy water. All his hopes were dashed to pieces. The poor ambitious kite was not aware that the very string that pulled him down was the one which held him high in the air!
Just like the kite, we too detest those who control and discipline us. All of us, especially young people, desire freedom from all types of controls, whether it be from parents or elders. We say, “Nobody is going to tell me what to do and what not to do. I am grown up and I know what to do.” The sad fact is that we are unaware of being kites fallen to the ground, and are being trampled down by every fad that comes around.
God has prescribed controls for humans in His Word so that they will be able to function to their maximum potential. Being the manufacturer, He knows exactly how much pressure to put, what disciplining to do and what laws they must obey for His product’s best performance and safe functioning. But humanity, seeking maximum freedom for gaining ultimate joy, has snapped the string of God from their lives.
The theory of evolution was one of the implements Satan, man’s enemy, used in cutting off the string. It says: “We just happened. We have no owner. We are not accountable to anyone.” It has left us rudderless, anxious and neurotic. It leaves everyone anxious; parents think that their children are all their own responsibility, with no help from anyone; children feel so helpless, having no one to understand them and love them. Today, human beings are rudderless like a car without a driver, or a plane without a pilot. In our search for ultimate pleasure, we have thrown to the winds all kinds of laws which should have controlled our lives. The disastrous result of this wrong teaching is visible in every area of human life. Loyalty in marriage is a joke today. Obedience to parents and respect for them have almost vanished. Fathers rape their own daughters and mothers kill them. True love is considered a weakness, and not a virtue. Sex and money are the gods which control man’s behaviour. Why? Because we learned in school that we are not answerable or accountable to any one for our deeds. It is a world where the rule is the survival of the fittest. We are kites without the string. Even the so called believers believe this lie of the devil. They forget that God’s Word is the Truth.
We hear about 3 and 5 year old children suffering from stress-related diseases. The atrocities against women, corruption at every level, murders and all kinds of injustices, are on the increase on a daily basis. These, to some extent, result from the thinking that we are not accountable to anyone. The ‘smart’ ones get away with their crimes, while others get caught; but hardly anyone gets punished. We have no one to help.
The One who can help us is waiting! I know a person who can give you that peace and tranquillity in life. This person is a priceless, comfort-providing, peace-giving treasure which every heart needs.
“He is extremely personal, yet can be shared with others,
He gives strength in times of stress, yet offers comfort in sadness,
He grants us wisdom when confused, yet corrects when we are wrong,
He provides help when we are needy, and His help will never end,
He guides us continually, and stays closer than a brother,
He gives commands to be carried out, but offers wonderful reward for obedience,
At times He allows loss, distress and pain, but always gives something better,
He does not impose Himself on us, but patiently waits to be invited,
He does not force us to do His will, but is painfully disappointed when we do wrong,
He desires that we love Him, He first loved us,
But allows a free will to choose or reject Him,
He wants to take care of us, but refuses to force Himself on us,
His greatest desire is to be our Father, but will not intrude,
If we want what He wants, a loving, caring, father-like relationship with Him, we must accept His offer,
He is too considerate to force it,
He is waiting for you and me to be His children.”
His name is Jesus and He alone is the hope for the world and for each one of us.
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
So, let us be submissive to the Biblical rules and regulations. The so called ‘freedom’ that the world offers is a farce. True freedom is the freedom to do what is right and that is what God has granted us in Christ Jesus.
Lily Abraham
Share this Post
