In Your Hands, by Lon Alderman

Joshua 24:15
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Two boys were walking through the woods and discovered a small bird with a broken wing. The boys caught the bird and decided to use it to play a trick on one of their neighbors. As the boys made their way to the neighbors house with the bird held tightly in one of the boys hands, they made up their plan.

Upon arriving at the old man's house the boy holding the bird explained to his neighbor that he had a bird in his hands and he wanted him to guess if it was alive or dead. If the man had said that the bird was dead, then the boy would open his hands and show the man that he was wrong. However, if the man said that the bird was alive, then the boy would gently push the life out of the bird with his hands and show the man that he was wrong by displaying the dead bird. The boys were very excited because they planned to prove the old man to be wrong no matter which way the man answered.

The man was slow to answer which made the boys excitement turn to impatience. Finally, the boy holding the bird shouted out, "What's your answer old man?"

The man slowly responded, "The answer is in your hands."

Choose well!
Lon