The Treehouse--a Story

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
  The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1

Maggie was a very smart little girl with a personality that could win the hearts of everyone around her.  She lived each day to the fullest, from the time she awoke in the morning until her parents put her to bed at night.  And she was busy--very, very busy.  

Her only problem was that she just did not know who to listen to!  Her mom and dad insisted that she obey them, but a little voice inside her told her that what mom and dad said to do wasn't nearly as fun as what the little voice told her to do.  Mom and Dad said, "Maggie, do not scream at your sisters."  Well!  It seemed to her that if her sisters and brother did not do what she wanted, they deserved her scream, which she took great pride in.  It was LOUD!  They also insisted that she not bite, but something about putting her mouth around an arm or finger felt so--so POWERFUL!  And what was wrong with a little hit now and then?  As far as Maggie was concerned they deserved it.  That little voice could surely get her into trouble, but she was oh, so tempted to do what it said.

One day Maggie looked outside her window.  Dad was working hard building a tree house.  Now, she had always wanted a tree house to climb into, to play in--one with a swing and a bucket tied to a rope, to be used to haul things up in.  What fun she was going to have!  She could imagine herself as the tree house queen, with everyone as her servants.

But there was only one rule:  She must treat her sisters  and her brother with kindness, or she would not be allowed to enter the tree house.  For every scream she would have to sit in the pile of rubbish that was near the old broken-down shed as she watched the others play .  The same applied to biting and hitting.  What a dilemma!  Could Maggie not listen any longer to the little voice in her head that said that being unkind was fun?  If she did, she would never get to enjoy the tree house.  She must make a decision.  What would it be?  She could either continue to do what she seemed to enjoy doing, or she could listen to the admonition of her parents.

The consequences of disobedience suddenly became very real to her.  Every time she looked or walked outside she would think about what her parents told her; and thankfully, Maggie decided to listen to her parents and to do what was right.  And do you know what?  She found that following the voice in her head was not nearly as rewarding as obeying the rules of her parents. And how she enjoyed that tree house!

Oh, that we would make the right decisions so easily!

Gloria