Fairy Tales - Pt. 2 - Little Red Riding Hood

I. Introduction

We learned them as children. They are forever burned into our memory. However, just because we learned them doesn't mean we learned from them. Let's look at one of these fairytales we know so well and see if we can learn from it today.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a village near the forest. Whenever she went out, the little girl wore a red riding cloak, so everyone in the village called her Little Red Riding Hood.

Little Red Hiding decides to go visit her grandmother. Mom prepares a basket and warns - "Remember, go straight to Grandma's house," her mother cautioned. "Don't dawdle along the way and please don't talk to strangers! The woods are dangerous."

But when Little Red Riding Hood noticed some lovely flowers in the woods, she forgot her promise to her mother. She picked a few, watched the butterflies flit about for awhile, listened to the frogs croaking and then picked a few more. Suddenly, the wolf appeared beside her.

"What are you doing out here, little girl?" the wolf asked in a voice as friendly as he could muster. "I'm on my way to see my Grandma who lives through the forest, near the brook," Little Red Riding Hood replied. Then she realized how late she was and quickly excused herself, rushing down the path to her Grandma's house. The wolf, in the meantime, took a shortcut... The wolf, a little out of breath from running, arrived at Grandma's and knocked lightly at the door. "Oh thank goodness dear! Come in, come in! I was worried sick that something had happened to you in the forest," said Grandma thinking that the knock was her

granddaughter.

The wolf let himself in. Poor Granny did not have time to say another word, before the wolf gobbled her up! The wolf poked through Granny's wardrobe to find a nightgown that he liked. He added a frilly sleeping cap.

A few minutes later, Red Riding Hood knocked on

the door. The wolf jumped into bed and pulled the covers over his nose. "Who is it?" he called in a cackly voice.

"Grandmother! Your voice sounds so odd. Is something the matter?" she asked.

"Oh, I just have touch of a cold," squeaked the wolf adding a cough at the end to prove the point. "But Grandmother! What big ears you have," said Little Red Riding Hood as she edged closer to the bed. The better to hear you with, my dear," replied the wolf. "But Grandmother! What big eyes you have," said Little Red Riding Hood. "The better to see you with, my dear," replied the wolf. "But Grandmother! What big teeth you

have," said Little Red Riding Hood her voice quivering slightly. "The better to eat you with, my dear," roared the wolf and he leapt out of the bed and began to chase

the little girl. And depending on version - He eats Red Riding Hood or a woodsmen comes to her and grandma's rescue and he deposes of the wolf.

Let me share the lessons quickly and then point you to the Biblical account that sounds much like this fairytale.

1. The straight path is the only safe path.

Notice that Red Riding Hood was instructed to go straight down the path. It was only as she detoured and was distracted that she put herself in danger.

How many of us would have stayed safe if we had stayed on path? How many of us would have avoided injury if we had remained on path? Isn't it true that our own disobedience leads us to distraction which we discover is deadly. He orders our steps, but we have to take them! He can show us a path but we have to be willing to stay on it! Your Word is a light unto my path but if I walk out of the light I also walk out of safety.

Even a small detour can be deadly. Stick as close as possible to the path. Don't see how far away you can get!

How far off The Path have you gone? Some of us are a long way from the path He told us to take. He said walk in holiness and we are wilding out. He said walk in generosity and we have detoured to stinginess! He said walk in kindness and we are walking in anger. He said walk in humility and now we are on a path of pride!

Some of us are taking wayward steps and it is time to take way steps.

Get back on path! Stay on path.

2. It is deadly to repeatedly ignore repeated warnings.

Red sees repeated warnings signs that something isn't right. Ignoring the voice, big ears, big eyes results in experiencing the big teeth. She had repeated warning but repeatedly ignored them.