4 The cockroach, the mosquito and the toad.

Do you know the story of the failed crab fishing trip? Well, here it is!

Once upon a time there were three friends who were so close that they never parted. The youngest was Yalle the Cafard, then came Runga the Mosquito and finally, the oldest, Pondre the Toad.

Our three friends decided unanimously to go fishing, to catch crabs. The rainy season was coming to an end, so there had to be crabs. Pondre took the initiative:

- Friends, take your nets; the river must be rich in crabs.

- Oh yes!" said Runga, raising his arm, "I bet we'll have some nice ones.

- Come on, then! I'm an optimist," added Yalle.

And so they set off.

The river flowed through a rice field and grew larger as it entered the forest. Under a palm tree the water was calm, so it was full of fish, or rather crab!

If Pondre arrived there, under the palm tree, before Runga, their friendship would be diminished. If Yalle arrived before Runga, their friendship would be lessened. Yes, they had to arrive together, all three of them, under the palm tree, hand in hand, for the fishing. And so it was done.

Pondre le crapaud said:

- Well, Yalle, it is true that we want to fish, but I think we should first find out if the water is deep, and then if there are crabs in it. If there are only fish, we will go somewhere else. And if the water is too deep, we'll go higher...

Before Pondre had finished, splash, Yalle-the-Cafard had dived in, meticulously practising the last notions of swimming he had left since the death of his uncle, a great swimmer.

When Yalle reappeared, he said, out of breath:

- Phew! 'Friends! I bet the water is too deep. The proof? When I get my feet on the ground, it comes up to my wings.

Pondre continued:

- Well, we'll just have to see if there are any crabs in the water; I think it's a bad start! Runga, would you go and see if...

"Splash! Runga dove in head first, then with his neck stretched out, both legs together and finally with his back a little arched. But Runga the Mosquito soon reappeared:

- Pest! No sooner had I hit the bottom than big fish were banging their tails on my thighs from all sides.

- What!" said Pondre. Big fish? Big as what, Runga?

- Yes, big fish. As big as my own legs!

Runga hadn't paid any attention to the crabs, although there were some. As for Yalle, he feared for his wings; the water was very shallow. And Pondre believed everything. He smiled and congratulated himself on his prudence. The three friends returned as they had come.

Pondre had not considered anything himself!

Aren't men often like Pondre the Toad?

They seek happiness, a full and happy life. But instead of going to see for themselves where the source of the only true happiness is, they prefer to listen to others or let themselves be diverted by the bad example of those around them.

Thus, some reject God because they have heard scholars and philosophers claim that God does not exist. Others want nothing to do with Jesus Christ because they have been discouraged by the lives of some bad Christians who are nothing like their Master.

And you, where are you? Don't be like Fleece the Toad. Consider your own life, sincerely, before God, without letting yourself be influenced by others. If you examine your life, you will see that you need God after all. So look for him where he is. God himself says in his Word, the Bible:

"You will seek me, and you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).