By Phillip Hines

As a minister, I’m always looking for good stories and illustrations to make a point. Not long ago, I came across one that I will remember for some time. Parents, read carefully the story below.

The man had everything: a beautiful home, three cars, a plane, a boat, a swimming pool, a cottage at the lake and a beautiful pedigreed dog that was a real champion. The dog was tied to a tree on the man’s large spacious lawn.

Every day a newspaper boy rode up on his bike, stopped, ran over and petted the dog and shared some time with him. Since the rich man had no time for his valuable dog, the boy gained the animal’s allegiance.

One day while the boy was petting the dog, the owner came out and said, “Son, this is my dog. I paid a good price for him. I took him to the best trainers available. I’ve invested a lot of money in veterinary fees and grooming, but it looks like I really don’t own him anymore. The minute he is loose, he comes to you. I’ve lost my dog!”

Thus ended this parable for parents!