During the holiday season, I was wrapping Christmas presents for my family and noticed that my toddler daughter had picked up my scissors and was playing with them. I tried first to get her to give them back to me, but she stubbornly refused. I knew that she could hurt herself with the scissors, so I offered to trade her something I thought was much better (one of her favorite toys) for them. She still didn't want to give them up. I finally just had to take them from her as she cried and struggled to keep them for herself.

This incident, minor as it was, made me think about my relationship with the Father. Sometimes we, too, are like small children. We cling to a sin and refuse to give it up, even though God has something far better in mind for us. Too often we hold onto sin with all our strength, even when we know we shouldn't. God's way is so much better than anything the world can offer, both in this life and in the next one. He wants us to give up sin, which will hurt us far worse than any pair of scissors could hurt my daughter, and receive instead the reward that He has promised to all who obey Him (2 Timothy 4:8).

However, God will not force us to give up sin as I forced my daughter to give up the scissors. As much as He might like to make us drop our worldly habits, He will not do so. He has given us the responsibility of freedom of choice. Yes, we can choose to cling to sin, but our decisions will have unpleasant consequences. We can also choose to give up our sins and obey God and receive the crown of life God has promised to us (James 1:12). Let us make the wise choice and be obedient children of God. -29 Flora Drive, Bedford, OH 44146. Drkenney@att.net

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