There was a day when it was cold and rained all day. The kids had to stay in the barn and in the farmhouse. They spent the morning playing hide and seek in the hayloft of the barn. By lunch time all the kids had hay stuck in their clothes and in their hair, and they were bored! The kids had an idea! It was not a good idea in fact it was a mean idea! They all tackled Haley and stuffed hay into her clothes! Because of the cold weather, Haley was wearing an extra-large sweatshirt and sweatpants, so the kids were able to stuff a lot of hay into Haley’s clothes! Just when they finished, Joe rang the lunch bell and all the kids ran out of the barn, through the rain, and into the farmhouse. Haley did not have time to take the hay out of her clothes, so she ran to the house just like she was, looking like an overstuffed scarecrow!
Joe could not believe his eyes when he saw Haley, he made her stay a long way away from the stove, he did not want her to catch on fire! Haley tried to sit on a chair, but she slid off the chair and onto the floor! It did not hurt because she had so much padding in her clothes! Haley decided to just stay on the floor and eat her food there.
After lunch Joe said that since it was still raining, he would tell the kids a story to pass the time, and they would learn more about God from the story.
This story is about Daniel the raccoon. Joe told the kids that Haley locks up Daniel in a cage sometimes! The kids were upset! Why would anyone lock up sweet little Daniel? Joe explained that raccoons love sweet foods and will do almost anything to get that food! Joe and Haley’s neighbor raises sweet corn, and Daniel loves sweet corn! If Daniel was not kept in a cage, he would sneak out at night, and go to the field of sweet corn, he would pull down the corn stalks and eat the ears of corn! If Daniel got into that corn field and ruined the farmer’s corn, the farmer would be mad and set a trap to catch and kill Daniel! Joe and Haley did not want Daniel to be killed, so during the time when the sweet corn was ripe, Haley kept Daniel in a cage so that he would be safe.
One morning the farmer had come to Joe and Haley’s farmhouse and pounded on the door! He was mad! The farmer said that Daniel had come to his cornfield during the night and destroyed a lot of his sweet corn! The farmer wanted Joe to pay for all the corn that Daniel had destroyed! Joe remained calm and listened to his neighbor. When the farmer was done yelling, Joe told the farmer that Daniel was kept in a cage when the sweet corn was ripe. Haley took the farmer out to the barn and showed him that Daniel was safely in his cage. The farmer apologized for yelling at Joe and Haley and accusing Daniel of stealing his sweet corn.
So, Daniel did not steal the sweet corn, but who did? Haley had to find out, and she had a plan! Just before sunset that evening, Haley borrowed Joe’s four-wheeler and trailer. In the trailer she put the things that she would need that night: a big shiny bowl, 3 gallon jugs of water, a small block of wood, a small flashlight, and a large bag of ice cubes!
Haley got to the edge of the neighbor’s sweet corn field, and she got ready for the corn thief. First, she stood the block of wood upright, it was about 15 inches tall. Next Haley carefully balanced the big shiny bowl on top of the block of wood. She filled the bowl with water and ice cubes. Finally, she put the flashlight on the ground pointing up at the shiny bowl. Haley moved the four-wheeler and the trailer into the woods and hid them, and Haley hid behind a tree close to the corn field.
Haley had to wait quietly for over an hour, but finally something happened! A raccoon came to the edge of the corn field. This raccoon was just as cute as Daniel, but he was a thief. He had come to steal the sweet corn. Haley did not want the farmer to kill this cute raccoon, so she hoped that her plan would work. Raccoons are curious and they like shiny things. The flashlight was making the big bowl shine in the darkness, and the raccoon wanted that shiny bowl. The raccoon went to the shiny bowl, stood up on its hind legs and reached for the edge of the bowl. The bowl wobbled on top of the block of wood, and then it happened! The bowl fell on top of the raccoon! Three gallons of ice water drenched that surprised raccoon! Haley jumped out from behind the tree, began screaming and ran straight at that confused and surprised raccoon! Haley tripped on her own feet and fell screaming onto the ground! The ground was wet and slippery from all that water, and Haley slid into the raccoon! Some of the ice cubes went into Haley’s clothes as she slid across the ground and that made her scream louder! Haley jumped to her feet and jumped around trying to get the ice out of her shirt and pants! The raccoon was so frightened that it ran away from that crazy corn field and never came back!
The kids loved this story and laughed hard as they imagined what that raccoon must have felt as Haley came screaming and sliding into him. After Joe finally got the kids quiet, he told them that they could learn a little more about God from this story.
The other raccoon became the farmer’s enemy because he came to the farmer’s sweet corn field to steal and destroy the corn crop. Even though that raccoon looked cute, he was the farmer’s enemy. In the same way, believers also have an enemy! That enemy is the devil, commonly called Satan.
In the Bible in John 10:10 Jesus says this about Satan:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Just like that raccoon in the story looked cute, Satan tries to make bad and evil things look very appealing. Every person is tempted every day by sinful things that are made to look like they are good and fun. The person that gives in to the temptation will probably find that the sinful activity is fun for a while, but then they start to find out that the sinful activity is not fun for very long. Sin will bring shame, guilt, and unhappiness.
As the verse said, Satan is a thief; he wants to steal your innocence, steal your peace, steal your happiness, and eventually kill you. Remember, if a person dies without having Jesus in their life, they spend eternity being tormented in the lake of fire along with Satan and all his followers.
Satan brings death, but Jesus brings life! On this earth believers have a fulfilling life, and after this life on earth is over believers spend eternity with Jesus and live the ultimate life! Choose Jesus today!