"Flying Story"

 Jesus  looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible.  But with God everything is possible. ~ Matthew 19:26 (NLT)  

Over the years, this was my favorite story to tell the kids. It was so much fun rewriting it with Kristin! It has many spiritual truths. I hope you too are able to have a good conversation with your kids about how only God can do the impossible!

The story starts off with Toby watching the birds in the sky and wishing that he could fly. This leads to him coming up with makeshift wings. He tries three times, and each time he fails. All of his friends laugh at him but one. She comes up to him, and says that she believes that he can fly. She tells him to go find the Master who is Jesus in the story. This scene is one where we believe in ourselves, but we fail and fail again. Once this happens there are those that will laugh at us. They make it a point to let us know that we can’t do that. But there will always be a friend that points us to the impossible. They will say, “Go to church. Read the Bible. Pray to God.” They will send us to the One that can do the impossible.

With his makeshift wings, Toby sets off to find the Master. He searches for him, but it is not Toby that finds him. The Master finds Toby. He knows Toby’s name, and he knows the predicament that Toby is in. He tells Toby to follow him. Toby follows the Master away from his home meadow up into the mountains. Jesus will ask us to follow him and take us to places we have never been before. Once there, the first thing the Master does is to tell Toby to cast off his makeshift wings. We will try our best to do the impossible on our own, but God will require you to let go of everything. Let go of your own burden and trust Him. Once the makeshift wings are off, the Master tells Toby that he must complete three tasks.

He starts to explain the first one about being fast, but impulsively Toby takes off and runs around a tree to show off. The Master then tells Toby to do it 50 times. This is where we tell God what we want. We don’t wait for His answer. We react and in the process tire ourselves out. In task one, Toby learns that even though he is tired he can still finish the task.

For task number two Toby must climb up to the top of a boulder. The Master tells him he has everything he needs. Toby tries and tries, but he cannot get to the top. Frustrated, he kicks a rock. Toby then notices that he can stack the smaller rocks in order to reach the top. God gave us all a brain. We are very smart people, and we can solve most of our problems on our own. God will always give us the tools we need even though it may not be obvious at first. Once we realize this, it blows our mind, and God gets all the praise!

Then comes task number three. The Master tells Toby that he must jump off the cliff. Toby doesn’t even try. He stops and gives up. He says to the Master that if he does this he will die. God will give us all a task that is impossible. It may even cost us our life. The Master tells Toby that he simply needs to trust him and jump. Toby knowing that the Master has not let him down yet and does as he says. He runs and jumps off the cliff! A wind comes and picks Toby up bringing him back to the top. Once we jump we are in complete surrender of God’s Will. This is similar to Peter walking on water. Toby is now full of joy and delight. He waves bye to the Master and heads home. Toby learns that the only way he can fly is with the Master who does the impossible. A Christian is in full surrender at this point. There is no turning back. There is no longer an acknowledgement of one’s self. It is God who did it, and it is God’s Glory for now and always.

I hope you have enjoyed the “Flying Story.” It is a great book to read to your kids. Kristin and I hope you all enjoy it as well!

Jesus, You can do the impossible! I am ready, and I am at Your feet. I will surrender to You. I have run hard and learned endurance. I have had my wits tested and passed the test. I am ready for the last task. God You have prepared me for this day. May the Glory go to You alone! In Jesus name I pray. Amen.