Going with the Flow

"Look at those jellyfish!" exclaimed Jude. "They look like tiny parachutes!" He leaned forward, watching the silky-looking jellyfish that were floating in one of the tanks at the aquarium. Ashlynn nudged her way closer. "Wow!" she cried. "Look at the colors--pink, white, blue, yellow, green, purple, and even some striped ones!"Dad was looking at the sign next to the popular exhibit. "When out of the water," he read out loud, "jellyfish look like a glob of jelly dripping from a spoon. Jellyfish are invertebrates. They have no backbone and no central brain."Jude came over to look at the sign. "It says they float by opening and closing their bodies like an umbrella. They hardly move unless a current comes along."That evening, the kids talked about the things they liked best of all at the aquarium. "Those jellyfish were so pretty," said Ashlynn. "It's cool how they just float along, going with the flow of the current.""It is cool how God created jellyfish to move that way, isn't it?" said Dad. "But it's important to remember that He didn't create us to be like that.""What do you mean?" asked Ashlynn."Sometimes we just want to go along with what's going on around us," replied Dad. "We go with the flow and don't think for ourselves." "Oh." Ashlynn bit her lip. "Kind of like what I did when Brielle and Rachel were over yesterday."Dad raised his eyebrows. "Really? What did you do?""Brielle and Rachel were making fun of Naomi, and I just went along with it and laughed at whatever they said." Ashlynn sighed. "Brielle and Rachel are really popular at school, and lately they've been wanting to hang out with me, so I didn't want to…" Her voice trailed off.Dad gave a sympathetic nod. "We all do things like that sometimes, which is why we need to remember that God didn't make us like jellyfish with no backbone. Because we trust in Jesus, God has made us His children and given us the power to love others and do what's right. When those around us do things that are hurtful and wrong, we don't have to go along with them. Instead, we can trust God to help us love others the way He does and stand up for them."–Lucinda J. Rollings