
The modern version of Little Red Riding Hood is a great parallel for those going through a tough time. Little Red was doing exactly what she’d been told to do. She’d packed the basket. She’d dressed appropriately. She’d swallowed her fear and ventured into the scary woods. She’d gone to check on someone in need. But what happened? The wolf tried to trip her up along the way and then was waiting to trick her so he could eat her. On a spiritual level, we can do exactly what we’re supposed to be doing. We pack our basket of prayer, praise, and scripture. We represent God to the world around us. We swallow our fear and step out in faith. We reach out to others. Then we encounter the devil. He licks his lips in readiness and does his best to devour us. But just like the big, bad, wolf, the devil meets with a fate he didn’t expect. The hunter, or in our case the Lord, shows up, delivers us from Satan’s grasp and defeats the enemy forever.
The Three Little Pigs have several spiritual points. First, isolating leaves you vulnerable. It’s better to stick together. “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves…” is the way Scripture says it. A second lesson revels that a diligent heart can withstand the wiles of the enemy whereas carelessness can result in destruction. “If you live for God hard, it’s easy, but if you live for God easy, it’s hard,” was the phrase my mother touted. A third lesson parallels how Satan plots against us; however, he’s just a windbag. The Bible says he’s like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. He roars. He “huffs and puffs” but if we’ve made the right investments in the Spirit, he’s rendered powerless, and ultimately, he’s defeated.
The Little Engine Who Could speaks clearly of faith. God has equipped us with everything we need. If we put our faith to work, we can tap in to the supernatural provision God has provided to empower us for the victorious life.
Although childlike and simple, children’s stories can teach us many lessons about the complexities of the spiritual.
Tip/Tidbit: What was one of your favorite childhood stories? Does it have a spiritual parallel you could apply to your life? My favorite story was The Pony Twins, a story about twin ponies who got into mischief.