Too Close To The Edge
Children's sermon
A Time To Plant
52 Children's Sermons
I have a story for you today. There was once a king who was searching for the perfect husband for his daughter. The king was like any father. He wanted his daughter's husband to take care of her, love her, and protect her.
Finally, the king found three handsome, strong young men, each of whom was a possible husband for the lovely princess. The king had a test to see which of the young men was most suited for his daughter.
There was in the kingdom a very dangerous stretch of road with narrow passageways, loose rocks, and steep, deadly cliffs. Anyone who went over the cliffs would surely die. The king's test for each man involved a challenge. After giving each one a wagon and horses, the king said, "This is my challenge. I wish to see how close each of you can come to the edge without falling over the cliff."
The wise king stood back and the test was begun. The first young man came barreling around the bend, horses at full speed. He came about this far from the edge (hold arms about two feet apart) and continued down the road, proud of himself for how well he had done. The king watched in silence.
The second young man, full of hope that he would win the king's confidence, and the princess' hand in marriage, brought his team of horses around the turn even more quickly than the first. He came breathtakingly close to the edge (hold hands about six inches apart) and knew that he had come closer to the edge than the first man. Surely he would be the winner. Again, the king watched in silence.
The third young man, as he approached the bend, instead of speeding up, slowed his horses down and as he passed the cliff, moved as far away from the edge as possible. The king raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Guess which fellow won the king's test? (Children respond.) The one who got this close? (Hold hand apart about two feet.) No. The man who got this close? (Hold hands about six inches apart.) No. The one who got away from the danger was the one the king chose.
The king wanted a husband for his daughter who would take care of her and protect her, not one who would put her at risk by playing with danger. The other two men were too reckless. They took too many chances. The king didn't care how close to the edge they could get; he wanted to see how far they would go to protect his daughter.
Many times, we try to see how close to the edge we can get before we fall over. We play with trouble until we have gone too far. It's a lot smarter and a lot safer to stay as far away from trouble as we can.
This week, don't try to see how close you can get to trouble but see how far away you can stay from it. God bless you.
Finally, the king found three handsome, strong young men, each of whom was a possible husband for the lovely princess. The king had a test to see which of the young men was most suited for his daughter.
There was in the kingdom a very dangerous stretch of road with narrow passageways, loose rocks, and steep, deadly cliffs. Anyone who went over the cliffs would surely die. The king's test for each man involved a challenge. After giving each one a wagon and horses, the king said, "This is my challenge. I wish to see how close each of you can come to the edge without falling over the cliff."
The wise king stood back and the test was begun. The first young man came barreling around the bend, horses at full speed. He came about this far from the edge (hold arms about two feet apart) and continued down the road, proud of himself for how well he had done. The king watched in silence.
The second young man, full of hope that he would win the king's confidence, and the princess' hand in marriage, brought his team of horses around the turn even more quickly than the first. He came breathtakingly close to the edge (hold hands about six inches apart) and knew that he had come closer to the edge than the first man. Surely he would be the winner. Again, the king watched in silence.
The third young man, as he approached the bend, instead of speeding up, slowed his horses down and as he passed the cliff, moved as far away from the edge as possible. The king raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Guess which fellow won the king's test? (Children respond.) The one who got this close? (Hold hand apart about two feet.) No. The man who got this close? (Hold hands about six inches apart.) No. The one who got away from the danger was the one the king chose.
The king wanted a husband for his daughter who would take care of her and protect her, not one who would put her at risk by playing with danger. The other two men were too reckless. They took too many chances. The king didn't care how close to the edge they could get; he wanted to see how far they would go to protect his daughter.
Many times, we try to see how close to the edge we can get before we fall over. We play with trouble until we have gone too far. It's a lot smarter and a lot safer to stay as far away from trouble as we can.
This week, don't try to see how close you can get to trouble but see how far away you can stay from it. God bless you.
