A Night Walk

Bible Reading: Proverbs 6:20-23; 1 John 1:6-7

"Whoo, whoo, whoooo!" Kaylee heard the soft hoot of an owl floating through the still night air as she and her dad walked along a narrow path on their way to see the moon rise over the lake. An owl! she thought. She shined her flashlight toward the treetops, hoping to get a glimpse of the bird, but she couldn't see anything. As she looked straight up and searched the branches, her foot caught on a root sticking up from the path, and she fell down hard.

"Kaylee, are you all right?" Dad hurried to help her up. "What happened?"

"I tripped on a root," said Kaylee, getting up and brushing herself off. "I was pointing my flashlight up at the trees to see if I could find the owl. I guess I should have kept my light on the path."

"Yeah, I guess so," said Dad with a smile. They continued their walk and soon reached the beach. The lake was calm and glassy, and a beautiful silver path led to the moon hanging low over the dark water. They stood and enjoyed the scene in silence for a while. "Well, we'd better head back," Dad finally said. "Be sure to keep your light on the path this time."

"I will!" Kaylee assured him. "I've learned my lesson. That owl can hoot all he wants--I'm gonna watch where I'm going!"

"I've been thinking about a verse in Psalms--one that says God's Word is a light for our path," Dad said as they started back. "If we forget to shine the light of God's Word on our lives, it can cause us to trip and fall in our walk with Jesus."

"That would be worse than the fall I took, wouldn't it?" said Kaylee.

Dad nodded. "Jesus is our light in this dark world--He saved us and promises us eternal life with Him. That's why we need to let His truth light our way and guide us in how we live. And when we trip and fall into sin, the Bible says Jesus will always forgive us when we confess our wrongs."

Kaylee smiled. "I'll listen to what God says in the Bible so His light will shine on my path--just like this flashlight!"

–Judith K. Boogaart