I can vividly remember my first two-wheeler bicycle that my dad bought me when I was a boy. It was a red Huffy “Cheater Slick” with a banana seat. Now, when he bought the bike, he had the choice of buying a display model that was already assembled, or he could buy the “bike in a box” that he would have to assemble himself. We bought the bike in a box because it was five dollars cheaper.
We took the bike home and spread all the parts out on the living room floor. To a little boy, it all looked so confusing. But I knew one thing—where the hand grips went. So I popped them on the handlebar without reading the instructions. To my dismay, I later learned that I should not have been so hasty and should have read the instructions, for the handlebar had to be threaded through a joint prior to putting on the hand grips. Uh-oh. Too late. The grips were on and would not come off, so one of the grips had to be cut off. Consequently, my red Huffy bike always had just one hand grip.
That lesson learned many years ago reminds me that life comes so much easier when we read the instructions. In fact, God left us an instruction book, the Bible. For instance, one of the things He tells us in the Bible is that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), yet how many people do you know who are pursuing happiness without practicing giving and unselfishness? Friends, do yourself a favor and read the instructions before you make a mistake. God made you, and He knows best how you are to function. For best results, consult the owner’s manual.
—Steve Higginbotham, Glasgow, Kentucky
