Not Greek to God

Bible Reading: Acts 17:24-27

Allison sang out the words of the song. “Yesu yana kaunar yara.”

“What language is that?” asked her friend Sydney. “Like my grandma always says when she doesn’t understand something, it’s Greek to me!”

Allison laughed. “It’s not Greek; it’s Hausa,” she said. “I learned that song from my Aunt Mary, who’s a missionary in Nigeria.”

“What does it mean?” Sydney wanted to know.

“It means, ‘Jesus, He loves the children,’” Allison explained.

“Oh, that’s almost the same as a song Mom taught me when I was little,” Sydney said. “It’s called ‘Jesus Loves the Little Children.’ The tune sounded familiar too.”

Allison nodded. “Aunt Mary teaches a class of Nigerian girls who are the same age as we are. She says one girl reminds her of me.”

Sydney laughed. “Really? My dad always teases me and says I’m one of a kind. How are you and the other girl alike?”

“Well, Aunt Mary says one way we’re alike is that we both love Jesus,” replied Allison. “And she says we act alike and are interested in a lot of the same things. We’re going to write to each other, and Aunt Mary will translate for us. It’ll be fun having a Nigerian pen pal.”

“Cool! I guess we’re not as different from kids in other countries as we think we are,” said Sydney.

Allison shook her head. “Aunt Mary always reminds me that we’re all the same to the Lord. He loves Nigerian children—and all the children in the world—just like He loves us.”

“Right,” said Sydney, “just like your song said. How did that go? Sing it again.”

Allison sang the words again, and she laughed as Sydney tried it too.

“That’s okay. You can laugh at me,” said Sydney. “I bet the Nigerians would laugh at you!”

“You’re probably right,” said Allison, “but that’s okay. God understands—even when we mispronounce all the words. It’s not Greek to Him.”

“Let’s make it a duet,” suggested Sydney. So they started singing together. – Linda Weddle

How About You?

Did you know there are children all over the world who love the Lord? They’re like you in many ways. They read the same Bible and memorize many of the same verses and even sing some of the same songs, but in a different language. Always remember that Jesus loves all the children everywhere just like He loves you.

Today’s Key Verse:
Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me…God’s kingdom belongs to people who are like these children.”

Today’s Key Thought:

God loves you and all children