Calluses

Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:19; Hebrews 3:12-15

Ava scowled angrily at her mom. “How could you? I’ve never been so humiliated in my life! Do you know how embarrassing it is to have your mother come and drag you home?”

“That’s enough, Ava!” Mom said firmly. “You know you’re supposed to come right home after school and look after Emmett until I get home from work. But you went to Molly’s and left your brother home alone. Then you lied about it—and convinced your brother to lie too!” Mom sighed deeply and sat on the edge of Ava’s bed. “What has been going on the last couple of months? I don’t think you just suddenly decided to rebel.”

“I…I don’t know,” said Ava. She began to cry. “The other girls seem to be able to do whatever they want, and I wanted to join them. I felt bad about some of the things I did, but after a while, they didn’t seem so bad anymore.”

Mom looked at the cello in the corner of Ava’s room. “Do you remember when you first started playing the cello? It hurt your fingers if you played a lot at one time. Now it doesn’t. Why is that?”

Ava looked at her hand. “My fingers weren’t used to moving on the strings,” she said, wondering why Mom had changed the subject. “Now they have calluses on them, so they don’t hurt anymore.”

“Did the calluses magically appear one day, or did they build up gradually?”

“They built up over time,” Ava replied.

Mom nodded. “That’s what happens when you do something over and over—including wrong things. At first, doing a wrong thing pricks your conscience and you feel guilty, but after a while, you get used to it and your conscience doesn’t bother you anymore.”

Ava looked down at the floor. She knew just what Mom meant.

“Because you know Jesus, God has given you the Holy Spirit,” Mom added. “He often talks to you through your conscience. There’s a verse in the Bible that tells us not to ‘quench’ Him. In other words, we’re not to stop listening to what the Holy Spirit tells us. He’s there to help us turn away from sin and make us more like Jesus.” Mom leaned over and gave Ava a hug. “Think about that—and pray about it.”

“I will,” Ava whispered.

-Bethany Elms

How About You?

Are you getting calloused toward sin? Are some things that you know are wrong starting not to seem so bad now? As the Key Verse says, don’t harden your heart. In other words, when your conscience makes you feel guilty, don’t stubbornly ignore what God is telling you. Listen to the Holy Spirit when He tells you to turn away from sin.

Today’s Key Verse:
Hebrews 3:15 Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. (CSB)

Today’s Key Thought:

Don’t be calloused toward sin