CBH Ministries - Keys for Kids

"Mom, remember I told you about Emily--a new girl in my class at school? She's really nice," reported Heidi one evening. "In art class today, I was looking at the picture she was painting, and my brush accidentally bumped against a corner of it. I was sure she'd be mad, but she was so nice. She said not to worry--that she'd paint over it with another color." "Did that work?" asked Mom. Heidi nodded. "It covered the smudge so you couldn't even see it anymore." As Heidi ate breakfast the next morning, her little brother Jonathan bumped his glass of milk. It tipped over, and before Heidi could get out of the way, milk reached the edge of the table in front of her and flowed down onto her lap. She was furious! "Jonathan, you are so clumsy!" she stormed. "These are my brand new jeans, and now I can't wear them. I'm sopping wet!" She jumped up to go and change. "Leave it to my dumb brother to spill his milk on everything!" Jonathan was tearful. "I'm sorry, Heidi," he whimpered. "I didn't mean to get your clothes dirty." Heidi scowled and turned away. Mom frowned. "Jonathan apologized, Heidi, and he's truly sorry," she said. "Being sorry doesn't make my jeans clean," Heidi muttered as she hurried to her room and changed her clothes. But she felt guilty. When Heidi returned to the kitchen, Jonathan had left, and her mother looked at her solemnly. "You need to remember that we all make mistakes and need forgiveness at times," Mom said. "You owe your brother an apology." She held up a hand as Heidi started to protest. "Remember what happened with Emily's picture yesterday?" Mom asked. Heidi gasped. She had forgotten. "Emily covered the smudge on her picture with more paint," continued Mom. "Proverbs 10:12 speaks of something that covers more serious spots. It says, 'Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.' I believe you love your brother, but it didn't show this morning, did it?" Soberly, Heidi shook her head. "God says we are to forgive as He does," added Mom. "When we remember how much He loves us and how much He's forgiven, it's a little easier for us to forgive others, too." "I'll go find Jonathan," said Heidi, getting up, "and this time I'll apologize." How About You? Is it difficult for you to forgive others? Even when you love them as God says you should, it's sometimes hard to forgive, isn't it? But think about how often you do something wrong yourself, and remember how much God has forgiven you. Ask Him to increase your love for Him and for others, and to help you forgive as He does. Today's Key Verse: Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. (Proverbs 10:12) Today's Key Thought: Forgive others

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" exclaimed Mom, coming into the room, hands on her hips. "What's this name-calling all about?You know we do not talk to each other like that. Words hurt." "Aw, Mom, Lisa doesn't care," said Jon. "She knows I don't really mean it." Lisa glared at her brother. "It hurts whether you mean it or not," she grumbled. "You called me a pig. How do you think that makes me feel?" asked Jon. Lisa looked down. "Well, yesterday you said I was ugly," she defended herself. "You called me dumb," Jon muttered. "You said . . ." "That's enough!" Mom interrupted. "You both need to learn that unkind things you say do hurt, even if you don't really mean them. You can think about it while you work together to clean the basement." "Do I have to work with Jon? He's mean to me," complained Lisa. "Look who's talking!" exclaimed Jon. "You're the mean one; not me!" "Children!" exclaimed Mom. "Do I need to assign more jobs for the two of you? I can do that if you can't get along by the time you finish the basement. It will take a little extra work to clean up the mess made by that leak you found down there last week." "It didn't make much of a mess," said Jon. "It was just a tiny drip." "Yes, and I put a mop bucket under the faucet," replied Mom. "Go take care of it." The kids trooped downstairs to begin their work. Soon Lisa hurried back up. "The bucket's overflowing!" she exclaimed. "Come and see." Mom went to look. She nodded. "It's a worse mess now, isn't it? A small drop of water leaked into the bucket minute by minute, hour by hour, and it all adds up," she said. "Let that remind you that all the unkind, little things you say add up, too. They make a big bucketful of hurts." The kids looked from the overflowing bucket to one another. "I-I'm sorry I called you ugly, Lisa," murmured Jon. "I was just mad." "And you're not a pig, Jon. Nor dumb," Lisa said. "I'm sorry, too." Mom smiled. "That sounds better--and it works two ways," she said. "All the nice things you say add up to a bucketful of blessings." How About You? How do you talk to people? How does what you say make them feel? Do the things you say add up to a bucketful of hurts--or a bucketful of blessings? Instead of hurting others by saying mean things, make up your mind to bless them by saying good things. Honor God with the words you use as well as the things you do. Today's Key Verse: Bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14) Today's Key Thought: Say only helpful things

Allison was thoughtful as her family arrived home after church. There had been a communion service that morning, and she had some questions. "I know when we take communion it reminds us of Jesus' death--and we're supposed to do it until He comes back and takes us to heaven," she said. "But will we take communion when we get to heaven, too?" Dad shook his head. "No, Allison. Not in heaven," he replied. "Why not?" asked Allison. "I don't understand." "Well . . ." Dad thought for a minute, then pointed to a picture on the piano. "Before Uncle Doug and Aunt Laura left to be missionaries in Africa, they had that picture taken. It reminds us to pray for them while they're gone--while they're at work telling people about Jesus." Allison nodded. "Remember when they were home on furlough last summer? They spent a couple of weeks with us just when all our rose bushes were blooming," Dad continued. "Mom picked so many for the house, we had vases of roses everywhere we looked." Allison laughed. "I remember! We cleared off all the tables to make room for flowers. We even put Uncle Doug and Aunt Laura's picture away for a while because we needed the space on the piano for another bouquet." "Yes," said Dad. "Do you think they minded?" "No," Allison replied. "It didn't matter then because they were here in person. That's better than a picture anyway!" "Exactly! Think of the communion service as a picture of what Jesus did for us. The bread and the juice are symbols, reminding us that He suffered and died to pay the penalty for our sins," Dad explained. "But the time will come when we don't need that picture anymore." Allison nodded. "Like . . . when Uncle Doug and Aunt Laura were here in person, we didn't really need their picture to remind us of them. And when we're in heaven with Jesus, we won't need the picture communion gives to remind us of Him," she said thoughtfully. "We'll be with Jesus Himself, in person. We'll have the real thing, not just a picture!" "You've got it!" exclaimed Dad. How About You? Do you take part in the communion service? Before you do, it's important to know what it means. Talk about it with your parents, your Sunday school teacher, or your pastor. They'll help you understand. When you do participate, do so with thanksgiving, joyfully looking forward to the time when the picture of what Jesus did for you won't be needed anymore because you'll be seeing Him face to face in heaven. Today's Key Verse: As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:26) Today's Key Thought: Communion is a picture of Jesus' sacrifice