Short Story

Worms for Feathers
an excerpt from Abiding Stories by Michael Wells

Romans 1:23, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of bird and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

A gnome was pushing a wheelbarrow full of worms; he was a little man with a big nose, hands like shovels, and shoes like Arabian lamps. "Feathers for worms, worms for feathers," he cried as he walked. One little bird has been warned by his mother, "Be careful of the yellow cat; he loves to eat little birds." When the little bird met the gnome, he gladly exchanged one little feather for a big, delicious worm. Day after day this went on, until one day the mother asked, "Why do you have a bald spot?" "Oh, I hit a tree flying," lied the youngster.

Every day the exchange continued until one day, one feather too many had been traded. The cat appeared, the little bird could no longer fly, and you can guess the end. If we exchange the feathers, the truth of Jesus, for lies, we eventually lose our ability to fly. We are to mount up with wings as eagles, but those who would teach legalism slowly take our feathers and give us worms.

Jesus is the Way, and every other way is not the way. The world has it's appeal, but only to the flesh of man. Christ's appeal is to the soul because of the happiness that He brings, for the purpose of obedience is to make each believer happy. Each morning I ask myself a simple question, "Mike, if you want to be happy, then follow Jesus. If you don't want to be happy, then choose your own way."