Do Something about It

Bible Reading: Matthew 18:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Mom, I’m really worried about Charlotte,” Avery said as she sat down at the kitchen table. Charlotte and Avery were best friends and did everything together.

“What’s going on with her?” Mom asked as she added ingredients into the mixer.

“Well, she’s been having a lot of headaches lately. I’m worried there might be something seriously wrong with her. What if she has cancer or some other bad disease?”

Mom plopped a scoop of raw cookie dough onto a tray. “It sounds like you’ve been doing a lot of worrying about this.”

“It’s all I can think about, Mom! I’m just so afraid something bad is going to happen to Charlotte. I can’t imagine life without her.”

Mom brought the tray of cookie dough to the table and sat down. “How much praying have you done about it?” she asked.

“Um, well—none, I guess,” Avery said.

Mom sighed. “Well, I’ve been pretty worried lately too. Tomorrow is your school bake sale, and I’m worried these cookies won’t get baked in time!”

Avery glanced at the clock. “Mom, you have plenty of time. They don’t take that long to bake—just put them in the oven.”

“I guess I could, but I’d rather just sit here and worry about it.” Mom said.

Avery gave her mom a puzzled look. “Mom, you’re being silly!”

Mom smiled. “You’re right, it’s silly to sit here and worry when there’s something I could do about the problem. But you’re being silly too. You’re not helping your friend at all by worrying about her. You can help by doing something about it and praying for her.”

Avery knew her mom was right, and the two took a moment to pray for Charlotte. Then Avery helped her mom bake the cookies and bag them up for the sale.

The next day Avery came home with a big smile on her face. “Mom, guess what! Charlotte’s mom took her to the doctor yesterday, and it turns out she’s been having headaches because she needs glasses—not because she’s dying from some disease.”

Mom smiled. “So all that worrying for nothing?”

Avery nodded. “You were right, Mom. I should have done something about it and prayed for her in the first place.” – Melissa Yeagle

How About You?

When you or someone you know has a problem, do you worry about it? Why not do something about it instead—pray! Jesus is in control of everything, and you can bring all your worries and concerns to Him. He’ll always do what’s best and be there to help you through it. You can trust Him to help you with any problem you have.

Today’s Key Verse:
Philippians 4:6 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Today’s Key Thought:

Pray about your worries