Color Me Angry

Bible Reading: Hebrews 13:12-16

The Parker house was often loud. With two daughters pretending to be princesses one minute and superheroes the next, it was usually happy too. But there were times when Maddie Parker, age eight, and Tina Parker, age six, were loudly unhappy.

“Dad!” shouted Maddie. “Tina’s hogging the crayons!”

“I was using them first!” growled Tina. “Go use the markers.”

“I don’t want markers,” said Maddie. “I want to finish my picture with crayons since that’s how I started it!”

When Dad Parker arrived, Maddie and Tina were at the angry-faces stage of their argument. No scratching or hitting yet, but Dad could see where things were headed. “You ladies know what happens when you fight over something, right?” he asked.

“We lose it,” answered Maddie.

“Because?” asked Dad.

“Because nothing is worth sisters fighting,” answered Tina.

“So, do I need to take something away or can we work this out?” asked Dad.

The girls looked at each other. Neither wanted to lose the crayons. “Let’s work it out,” they mumbled.

“Good,” said Dad. “I can think of a few solutions. First, I could break all the crayons in half and you could each have a stub. Or I could divide the crayons up so you each have a few. What if we melt all the crayons together to make one super crayon? Finally, you girls could share the crayons since you don’t use more than one at a time anyway. What’ll it be?”

“I had the crayons first,” said Tina. “Why should I share them at all?”

“Because as Christians we’re called to share with others in response to the sacrifice Jesus made for us,” said Dad. “Hebrews 13:16 says, ‘But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.’ Because God shared His Son with us, we should be willing to make sacrifices too.”

Tina thought for a moment, then held out the box to her sister.

“Could I please use the red crayon?” asked Maddie.

“As long as I can use it when you’re done,” said Tina.

“Good job, ladies,” said Dad. “So no super crayon, then?”

The girls giggled and started coloring. And for a few minutes, the Parker household was happy and quiet.

-Josh Mosey

How About You?

Do you share things with others—even when you had them first? Sharing can be hard, can’t it? But we’re able to do it because God shared His Son, Jesus, with us. Jesus sacrificed Himself when He took our sins to the cross and died in our place. He did it because He loves us, and He makes us able to show love to others and make sacrifices for them. What can you share with someone today?

Today’s Key Verse:
Hebrews 13:16 (NKJV) But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Today’s Key Thought:

Share with others