Ramona came down to breakfast with a scowl on her face. Her day was already off to a bad start. Her favorite sweater had a hole in it, and she had forgotten to do her math homework. While she ate her pancakes with blueberry syrup, Mom asked her to read a Bible verse for morning devotions.
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you," read Ramona.
Just then Jodi, Ramona's three-year-old sister, poked her with her plastic alligator. Startled, Ramona jumped up and knocked over her juice.
"Look what you made me do!" shouted Ramona, dabbing at her soaked T-shirt. "You're such a pest!"
Jodi began to cry as Ramona stomped upstairs to change. When she came back down, she grabbed her backpack and rushed out the door.
After school, Ramona came home and plopped herself down at the table.
"Did you have a tough day?" asked Mom gently.
"Today was the worst. I got a zero in math, and the other kids were laughing and pointing at me all morning. It wasn't until after recess when I went to the bathroom that I saw why they were laughing--I had blueberry syrup on my nose! I was so mad at my friends for not telling me, I told them I would never speak to them again!"
"Do you remember what you read for devotions at breakfast?" Mom asked.
Ramona looked down and shook her head.
"Well, it looks like blueberry syrup wasn't the only thing you missed in the mirror this morning," said Mom.
"Huh?" asked Ramona, confused.
"God's Word is like a mirror. When we read it, it shows us what's wrong in our hearts and points to our need for Jesus. It tells us to go to Him for forgiveness and to trust Him to help us treat others with love and kindness. But if we read it and don't do what it says, it's like ignoring a big smudge of blueberry syrup on the end of your nose."
Ramona thought about yelling at her sister and her friends. "I guess I need to be sure to check my face and my heart in the mirror before I leave for school."
-Laura Kuehn
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you pay attention when you hear or read God’s Word? Do you do what it says and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and help? Don’t just read God’s Word—let it be a mirror for your heart. When God shows you smudges of sin in your life, confess them to Jesus and trust Him to wipe them away and help you show others His love.
TODAY'S KEY VERSE: James 1:22 (KJV)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (NIV)