Flying Too High

"Mr. Hillis read another story from Greek mythology to our class today," said Weston one afternoon."Really? What was it?" asked Ander.Weston grinned. He knew his little brother loved stories. "These stories aren't true, you know. But this one was about a father and son--called Daedalus and Icarus--who were put in prison by the king. One day, Daedalus--the father--took feathers and made two pairs of wings so they could escape and fly away. He fastened the wings onto his son's back with wax--warning Icarus not to fly too near the sun because the heat would melt the wax and the wings would fall off." "Did they fly?" asked Ander, bobbing up and down in his chair. Weston nodded. "Yep, they both flew away. But as Icarus flew higher and higher, he started feeling so powerful that he forgot what his father had said, and he flew too close to the sun. Sure enough, the wax melted, just like his father had warned him. The wings fell off, and Icarus fell into the sea and drowned.""That's horrible!" cried Ander. A worried look crossed his face. "Do you think that could happen to us when we take the plane to visit Grandma next week?""Of course not," said Weston. "The plane's wings aren't fastened on with wax."Dad, who was also listening, chimed in. "Weston's right--you don't have to worry about the plane, Ander. But that story does remind me of what can happen if we try to fly too high in another way."Weston frowned. "Like in an air balloon?"Dad chuckled. "No, I'm talking about pride. Sometimes--especially when things are going well in our lives--we might think too highly of ourselves and start feeling powerful like Icarus did. It's a big mistake to think we can get along without God. We need to realize that we're dependent on Him for everything.""That's why we need to trust in Jesus!" said Ander.Dad nodded. "Right. We need to admit that we can't save ourselves from sin--only Jesus can save us. But even once we're Christians, we still need to depend on God every day. He promises to provide for us and give us strength and wisdom in everything we do. We need to trust and depend on Him, not ourselves." - Tanya Ferdinandusz