APRIL 15, Proverbs 4:26 

“Volleyball practice was a mess today!” Siew Ling complained as she got in the car and tossed her gym bag into the back row. “No matter what position I played, the ball kept going off to the side! It was awful!” Her mom glanced at her, and Siew Ling continued. “My coach kept telling me, ‘The ball goes exactly where you send it.’ And then she helped me change my arm position. It made a big difference.”

“Good. Sounds like you...” began Mom.

She was interrupted by Siew Ling pointing and calling out, “Look! There’s Mary!” As they passed by, the other girl looked up, then quickly dropped something to the ground and stepped on it. “Mom, was that a cigarette Mary dropped?” Siew Ling asked.

“I think so,” Mom replied, pulling into their flat at Toa Payoh Avenue 2.

“I don’t know what happened to Mary,” said Siew Ling. “She doesn’t come to church much anymore. I asked her why she’s been absent so often, and she told me I shouldn’t worry about it. She said she still believes in God and the Bible and all.” Siew Ling paused. “What happened to her, Mom?”

“I don’t know, honey,” said Mom as she turned off the car engine. After thinking for a minute, she added, “But her life-in fact, everybody’s life-is something like a volleyball. It goes just where it’s aimed. In volleyball, if you want the ball to go over the net, you have to practise your aim to send it there. And if you want your life to go toward the Lord and be pleasing to Him, you have to practise, or do, what God says in His Word. Choices you make every day – what you do or don’t do, how you act, who you hang out with-aim your life. They determine where it will go.”

After arriving home, Siew Ling spoke to her mother again. “Mom, can I go to the gym early tomorrow?” she asked. “I want to practise my aim some more.” She paused, thinking. “And I think I’ll call Mary tonight to see if we can pick her up for church on Sunday morning. Maybe I can help her get her aim back in shape!”

Thought: Are your choices in life bringing you to a closer walk with God?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to keep a close walk with You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.