Standing at the base of the tall
pine tree,
I stared up through the branches trying to see how far it was to the
top. The kids around me challenged, “Just start climbing and see how far you
get!” Being about 11 years old, I figured I’d better get moving before someone
double dog dared me. Shortly after climbing a few branches, my hands were already
sticky from sap. Maybe this will help to keep my grip, I thought to myself. Moving
further up the tree, the trunk began to narrow and the branches got thinner. At
that point, the wind was very noticeable, causing the tree to sway back and
forth. Thanks to the encouragement of my buddies hollering from below, “Don’t
be a sissy, keep going,” I pressed on. As I felt a branch crack under my foot from
the weight of my body, it suddenly became difficult to weave through the
narrowing branches. Figuring I was probably high enough off the ground, I took
a quick moment to enjoy the view and began my descent. Upon making it safely
back to the ground, I brushed the bark and pine needles from my hair and out of
my shirt. Looking up the tree, I felt confident in my conquest.
Just as my ego started to
inflate, some smart aleck kid said, “That’s nothing, I’ll show you how to do
it.” He jumped up to the first branch and like a chimpanzee, continued to swing
from branch to branch. In a matter of seconds, he was most of the way up the
tree. I asked one of my buddies if the kid reached as far as I did. “No, he’s
about ten feet higher,” he replied. “I never liked that kid,” I huffed under my
breath and walked home. I spent the next week trying to wash the sap from my
hands. Sometimes, we would like our bodies to be able to do things that are
just not possible.
John 3:6 That which is born of
the flesh, is flesh. And that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit.
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