The Tablet of Your Heart

Read: Proverbs 3:1-8

My stomach hurts, Mom,” said Kaylee, burying her head in her pillow. “Don’t make me go to school today.”

Mom put her hand on Kaylee’s forehead. “You felt okay at dinner last night—you ate half a pizza! Is something wrong?”

Kaylee glanced at her tablet lying on her bedside table. “Not really. It’s just—I posted something last night that I probably shouldn’t have. I just know Lucy’s going to be totally mad at me.”

“Oh, Kaylee,” said Mom. “Get dressed and let’s talk about it during breakfast.”

As Kaylee stirred her cereal, her tablet pinged with a new message. She didn’t reach to answer it.

“So, what’s the matter?” asked Mom, sipping her coffee.

Kaylee groaned. “I sent a message to Chris last night. About Lucy. I said she wants him to sit with her at the school play next week.”

“Does she?” asked Mom.

“No,” muttered Kaylee. “And the worst part is, Chris posted my message on his page, so now everyone thinks Lucy likes him. And it’s all my fault!”

Mom sighed and shook her head. “Why’d you do that, honey?”

“I don’t know,” said Kaylee. “It just seemed like a funny thing to say.”

“Kaylee, you know written words are just as hurtful as spoken words.”

Kaylee’s tablet pinged again. She looked at the message and sighed. “It’s Lucy,” she said. “What am I going to do?”

“What do you think you should do?”

Kaylee looked at Mom, fighting back tears. “Tell the truth?”

“That would be the loving thing to do.” Mom smiled. “In fact, the Bible even tells us to write love on tablets.”

“It does?” asked Kaylee, her eyes widening.

Mom nodded. “God tells us to write love on the tablets of our hearts. That means showing others His love through our words and actions. When we trusted in Jesus, He gave us the Holy Spirit so we could love others the way He does. We show others love by telling the truth and treating them with kindness—both in person and online.”

Kaylee looked at her tablet on the table. “I guess that means I need to write love on this tablet too.”

–Jennifer Dillard

How about you? Have you ever told a lie on the internet? Or wrote something mean about someone so others would think you were funny or cool? Words can spread quickly online, and they can hurt you and your relationships. Show love from your heart by sharing words that are true and kind—both in person and online.

Today's Key Verse: You are a letter from Christ…written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (NIV) 2 Corinthians 3:3

Today's Key Thought: Be truthful and kind online