The Birthday Prank

By Jennifer Lyons

” For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”  2 Cor. 4:6  NIV

 

“Look at those cakes!  Have you ever seen so many candles?”

“Come on Dad, we’re only turning ten.  Wait until your birthday!”

“Yeah!” Jamie joked, “We’ll have to call the Fire Department for YOUR cake!”

Everyone but Jamie knew what the yellow-striped candle in the middle of his cake really was.  It was one of those “impossible to blow out” candles.  Usually Jamie was the “jokester” but this time the prank was on her.  Even her twin Zack was in on the prank.  With lights off and candles lit, the excitement was on.   Everyone in the room snickered their way through the “Happy Birthday” chorus – and Jamie just thought they were having a really good time.

“Get ready, Jamie- make a wish!”

She inhaled and unsuspectingly blew out the candles.  The flames disappeared – all but one.  So she sheepishly blew again.  It stayed.

“Come on Jamie, you can do it!  Blow out that candle!”  Several more tries but no success.  “What’s the matter – can’t you blow out a simple flame?”

Jamie’s “I can tackle anything” attitude didn’t budge.  “One more time will do it!”  But we all knew even the strongest set of lungs on the planet couldn’t blow out one of these bad candles.  “Why is this one so stubborn?”  She filled her lungs with air again and exhaled strong.  This time the flame bent low, did it’s own little back-flip, and disappeared.  There was only silence as everyone waited.   They even got the attention of Ralph the Fat Cat.  Just when we thought the fun was over, the teasing flame suddenly reappeared.  Everyone started clapping and laughing all at once, including Jamie.  She was on to our birthday prank.  She turned toward her twin, “Now it’s YOUR turn, Zack!”  But he was one step ahead of the game as he quickly doused the flame in a cup of water.

You have a light in you that can never be extinguished.  God put his light in you when you chose to follow Jesus, who is the “light of the world.”  Following him is like moving out of darkness and into light.  We need to share this light with the world so others may also find the way to new life.

Jennifer loves kids galore, & helping them reach their potential more.
Privileged to have taught in the past, she’s homeschooling her boys & having a blast (most days.)
She loves being married & living in the country, with an occasional 4-legged creature sighting.
She also enjoys running & photography – but especially the fun of rhyming her writing.
She and her husband Neil have two sons and live in Central Michigan.