The Tiger, Umbrella and Tight-Rope

The Tiger and the Four Christians

Once, in a valley, there lived a ferocious tiger. The tiger ate anyone that passed through the valley, and no one had ever managed to escape alive. One day, an angel came down from heaven and spoke to the tiger.

"Fearsome tiger, tomorrow, four men will pass through this valley. I want you to let them pass and not eat them up."

"Why shouldn’t I eat them up?" asked the tiger.

"Because they are Christians," replied the angel.

"But how will I know who the four Christians are?" asked the tiger once again.

"Oh, that’s very easy," said the angel. "You will be able to smell the sweet smell of Christ on them."

"That’s okay then. I’ll do as you say," agreed the tiger. The next day, the angel returned to visit the tiger.

"Fearsome tiger," the angel began, "Did you let the four Christians live?"

"Oh yes," answered the tiger. "In fact, they are here right now. I’ll show you to them."

The tiger brought the angel to a small clearing in the forest. And there in the center of the clearing, were four mouths.

"What have you done tiger?" started the angel. "You ate them up!"

"No, that’s not true," answered the tiger. "First, when I ate their legs, I did not smell the sweet smell of Christ. Then when I ate their hands, I did not smell the sweet smell of Christ. While I ate their bodies, I still did not smell the sweet smell of Christ. Only when I reached their mouths, did I smell the sweet smell of Christ. And as I promised, I spared the four Christians with the sweet smell of Christ."

Let us be Christians in spirit as well as in speech.

Pray for Rain

There was a dry country that did not have any rain for many many months. Finally, one day, the king decided to ask all the religious people of the land, to pray for rain. The priest of the church called all the people of his congregation together and they all began to pray very hard for rain. Then suddenly, the door of the church opened, and a little boy entered the church carrying a large umbrella. All the people laughed at him and asked him, "Little boy, why are you carrying an umbrella?" The little boy answered, "Since we are all praying for rain, how will I go home afterwards when it starts raining if I do not bring an umbrella?"

The Tight-rope Walker

There was a famous tight-rope walker who performed in many cities and hundreds of people came to see him. One day, during his show, he asked the audience, "The rope is many, many feet above the ground, and there is no net. If I should fall, surely I will be killed. Do you believe that I can make it across to the other side safely?" The audience shouted back loudly, "Of course you can!" To this, the tight-rope walker asked the audience once more, "Do you really believe that I will make it to the other side safely?" Again, the audience shouted back, even louder and whistled as well, "Definately you shall!" The tight-rope walker asked for the third time, "Do you really, truly believe that I will make it safely across to the other side?" And for the third time, the audience replied, this time, loudly whistling and stomping their feet, "Of course, you surely will!"

The tight-rope walker then faced the audience calmly and asked, "Since you are so sure, I invite one of you to come up here, and I will carry you across with me." The audience fell silent and no one came forward. Suddenly, a little boy ran up to the tight-rope walker. He picked the little boy up, and they crossed over safely. When they reached the other side, the audience was shouting and clapping and they said, "The little boy is very brave!" To this the tight-rope walker said, "The little boy not only believed I could make it to the other side, above all, he had faith that I could do it."

Let us not only believe in the Lord, but above all, let us also have faith in the Lord.

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