Early Bird Gets the Worm

Bible Reading: Proverbs 13:4; 19:21

Jay lay in bed, enjoying the warm sun on his face. He felt like sleeping like this forever and ever and—

“Wake up!” chirped Mandy, his older sister, barging into his room. “Early bird gets the worm!”

Jay scowled and rolled onto his side, covering his face with his blanket. “Worms are gross. You can have them all to yourself.”

“You know what I mean!” Mandy smiled, throwing the blanket off. “Get up! It’s time for school!”

Jay groaned. “I don’t want to go to school. I stink at everything, and no one likes me. I wish I could just disappear.”

Mandy sat down on Jay’s bed. “Don’t say things like that. It’s not true, and you know it.” She paused, seeing that her words had no effect on Jay. “Besides, God made you for a special purpose—not to lie around in bed.”

Jay sighed and put his pillow over his head.

Mandy tugged at the pillow. “What if all the birds were to disappear? Not only would we lose the saying ‘early bird gets the worm,’ but we’d also lose things like their beautiful chirping and their colorful feathers.”

Jay looked out from his pillow. “And no one would eat the worms, so worms would take over the world!!” he said, throwing the pillow at his sister.

Mandy giggled. “Exactly! God cares about birds a lot, and He cares about you even more! Jesus loves you so much, He died to save you! If you just lay here forever or disappeared, you wouldn’t be able to live out His awesome plan for your life or show His love to those around you. I bet the bus driver would miss your smile every morning, the basketball team would lose a hardworking team player, and I wouldn’t have a cute little brother to hug when I see him in the hallways. I know it’s hard sometimes, but when you get up and face today, you’re also trusting God and His plan for you.” Mandy stood up and put her hands on her hips. “So, Mr. Bird, are you getting up?”

Jay thought for a moment, then crawled out of bed. “Yeah, yeah. But I don’t want any worms. I want a big bowl of cereal instead!” Gabriella Hsu

How About You?

Do you sometimes wish you could just lie in bed and pretend the world doesn’t exist? Some days it may seem hard to get out of bed, but remember that God loves you and has a special purpose for your life. No matter what you’re facing, He is there for you and promises to give you strength to do the things He has planned for you—including getting out of bed!

Today’s Key Verse:
Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air . . . Are you not much more valuable than they? (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

God has a purpose for you