NOVEMBER 10

 2 Corinthians 3:4-6

                        DON’T EVER BE PROUD!

One cool breezy Saturday morning, Dad took Siew Ling and Kok Seng to the park to try out their new kites. “My kite will fly higher than yours,” declared Kok Seng, looking proudly at his bright yellow kite with its dark blue borders and perky red bows.

“We’ll see about that!” said Siew Ling, tossing her red and white kite into the air. Kok Seng quickly tossed his kite into the air, too, and soon both kites were aloft.

For a few minutes the kites sailed merrily across the sky, flying higher and higher. “Go, kite! Go!” called Kok Seng, squealing with delight. “Show them that you’re the best.”He grinned and yelled in glee when Siew Ling’s kite suddenly plunged to the ground. “See! My kite’s the King of Kites!” boasted Kok Seng. But a few moments later, his kite joined his sister’s on the ground.

“Some king you have there!” Siew Ling teased her brother. “A fallen king,I guess.”“Aha!”said Dad.“What do you mean...‘aha’?”grumbled Kok Seng as they went to pick up the fallen kites. “What happened? Why isn’t my kite flying any more?”

“You were so proud of your kite that you forgot what makes it fly,” said Dad. “ The wind does,” said Siew Ling. “ The air is very still now - there’s almost no breeze at all. That’s why our kites won’t fly.” She grinned at Kok Seng. “You forgot about the breeze, didn’t you?”

“I guess so,” admitted Kok Seng. “I thought a super-good kite was all I needed, but a super-good breeze is needed, too.” Dad nodded. “Lots of people make the same mistake you did, Kok Seng,” he said after a moment.

“They do?”Siew Ling was surprised.“I thought everybody knew you needed wind to fly a kite.”She looked at her brother.“ Except Kok Seng,of course,”she teased. Dad smiled. “Kok Seng forgot that the wind is needed. Actually, God is needed because only He can make wind,”explained Dad.“People often forget that God is needed for everything they do. They forget that He’s the one who gives them power for even the simplest things.” Kok Seng nodded thought- fully. “Yep. Even breathing in and out,” he said. “I’m going to remember that!”

Thought: Are you intelligent? Smart? Talented? Do your abilities fill you with self-confidence and give you the feeling that you - all on your own - can accomplish just about anything you set your mind to?
Prayer: Father in heaven, thank You for this lesson. Help me never forget that without the power of the Lord, I can accomplish nothing. Help me never to be proud. In Jesus’ name, Amen.