Leave the Bricks

Bible Reading: Matthew 6:25-33; Philippians 4:6

“Mom! Mom!” Micah yelled as he ran into the kitchen. “I forgot to get my soccer gear together last night and I don’t want to be late for school!”

“Your soccer bag is loaded and waiting for you by the front door,” Mom said.

Micah gave his mom a hug. “You’re the best, Mom!” Then he grabbed his breakfast, lunch, and soccer bag and ran out to the bus stop. Micah always went to the bus stop early because he worried he might miss the bus. In fact, Micah seemed to worry about everything.

On Sunday, Micah arrived at his Sunday school class early because he didn’t want to be late for that either. When the other kids arrived, Mr. Rogers held up a backpack. “Now, let’s pretend we’re going hiking. I have several things up here on the table. Tell me which things I should bring with me.”

On the table, Mr. Rogers had a water bottle, a compass, bandages, a bag of trail mix, and bricks. The students began calling out things Mr. Rogers should put in his backpack. “Why shouldn’t I put bricks in my pack?” Mr. Rogers asked.

Everyone laughed. “Because you don’t need them and they’d be so heavy to carry around,” Micah said.

“Well, that takes us to our Bible lesson for today.” Mr. Rogers opened his Bible and read a few verses. “These verses tell us not to worry because God already knows what we need.” Mr. Rogers pointed to the bricks. “Let’s pretend these bricks represent our worries. Now, think about how heavy a burden that would be, carrying them around for no reason. Worrying is like that. It causes stress but doesn’t help the situation. That’s why the Bible tells us to bring our worries and concerns to God when we feel anxious and trust Him to take care of them. Jesus can handle anything we’re worried about, and He wants to relieve us of these burdens. So as you walk through life with Jesus, leave the bricks behind by giving your worries to Him.”

During Mr. Rogers’ closing prayer, Micah silently prayed about some of the worries weighing him down, and as he walked out of the classroom, he felt a little lighter.

-Lisa Fuller

How About You?

Do you worry all the time? Worrying is a lot like packing bricks to go on a hiking trip—it just weighs you down without doing anything helpful. Instead of carrying your worries around, turn them over to Jesus. He cares for you and wants to take those burdens off your shoulders. If you feel worried and anxious a lot, talk to an adult about it too. Let go of your worries knowing Jesus is with you and knows exactly what you need.

Today’s Key Verse:
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

Give your worries to Jesus