Necessary Ingredients (Part 1)

Bible Reading: Zephaniah 3:17; Romans 5:6-8

Kyle shuffled into the kitchen. “Something smells good.”

“I’m baking cake,” Mom said. “Again.”

Kyle slumped onto a stool. “Again?”

Mom offered him a plate of cooling lumps vaguely resembling chocolate cake. Kyle tasted one and scrunched his nose. “Yuck!”

“I forgot baking powder,” Mom explained.

“It makes a difference?”

“There’s the proof!” Mom pointed, smiling.

Kyle half-smiled, then frowned. “I don’t make a difference.”

“Why would you think that?” Mom asked.

“Because everyone made fun of me for not having a real job in our class play. I’m just running lights. Big deal.”

The timer on the oven dinged, and Mom pulled out the second cake to cool.

“Looks delicious.” Kyle’s face brightened a bit.

“The one with baking powder.” Mom handed Kyle the recipe. “Which ingredient doesn’t make a difference?”

Kyle shrugged. “Don’t you need all of them?”

Mom nodded. “Just like your play needs all the parts. How would the audience see the actors on stage without lights?”

“Well, at first, I thought my job was important. I was excited to learn how to run the controls. But then some kids started making fun of me, and I wondered if they were right. And when more people made fun of me, I thought they were right.” Kyle dropped his head onto his folded arms, and Mom moved around the counter to give him a hug. “Mom, it really hurts when other people don’t think I matter. I just want to quit!”

“Yes, it’s painful,” Mom said. “But what people say—whether it’s one person or a huge group—never changes the truth. Do you hear me, Kyle? Nobody can change the truth. What God says is truth, and God says we matter so much to Him that He was willing to send His Son to suffer and die so we could belong to Him. People are cruel sometimes, but that never changes the fact that we are valuable. We are all necessary because we matter to God.” Pearl Allard

How About You?

Do you ever think you don’t matter? Especially when people are mean to you? It hurts deeply when people don’t value us the way God does. No matter how many people speak lies, it doesn’t change the truth: God says you matter tremendously. He loves you incredibly, and you are valuable to Him.

Today’s Key Verse:
1 Peter 5:7 [Cast] all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

You matter to God