What flying a kite can teach us
Last Saturday, during church in Church in the Forest, we flew two power kites. (Yes, that’s the sort of thing we do at church in The Watering Hole).
This generated discussion on what lessons we could learn from kite flying that were applicable to, and relevant to, our lives. The discussion reminded me of a story I came across about kite flying.
There was once a kite who belonged to a boy who treasured it so much that he took great care of it every time he took it out to fly. One day the boy ran to a nearby field with his kite to fly it in the strong breeze. He was careful there were no power lines or trees nearby for the kite to get caught in.
The kite gently lifted off the ground. Once the it started to soar the kite said to itself, “Look at me! I am the most beautiful kite in the whole world!”
The kite began to soar higher and higher but then the it noticed that there was a string tied to it. The kite said, “Why is this string tied to me? I want to be free. Then I can soar anywhere I want.” So the kite began to tug hard against the string.
Harder and harder the kite pulled against the string until at last it snapped.
”I’m free!” the kite squealed as he began to drift on the wind. Before the kite knew what was happening he realised that he was not flying at all, but he was tumbling faster and faster towards the ground. The kite did everything it could to fly higher, but it was no use, and at last it crashed into the dirt with a crack.
A few minutes later the boy came running over and picked up the kite and the broken pieces and said to the kite, “Silly kite, didn’t you know that the string pulling on you was what allowed you to fly? You wanted freedom, but instead it made you crash.”
As long as a kite is attached to a string, it will fly high up in the sky. You may think that since it is pulling and tugging on the string, that it would go higher if it were set free. But it is not so, If you let go of the string, the kite will soon nose dive.
© www.depositphotos.com/Paul Fleet
That’s the way it works with God’s commandments too. We may think we would go farther in life, have more fun and be more successful if we didn’t have to be held down with keeping the commandments, but it is actually the blessings of keeping the commandments that keeps us up there soaring. If we ever cut the string, and decide obeying God’s laws is too much trouble, then eventually we will crash.
In the Bible there is a proverb, written by King Solomon, that helps me when I am tempted to “cut the string”
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Proverbs 3:5,6
