Honking Encouragement
Bible Reading: Proverbs 4:20-23; Hebrews 13:17
HONK! HONK! A large flock of noisy geese splashed down into the water just as Jake and his dad arrived at the lake.
"That's a beautiful sight," said Dad as he headed for the trail at one end of the lake.
"What?" shouted Jake. "Those birds make so much noise, I can't hear you."
Dad laughed. "We'll talk later," he shouted back. "Let's hike."
Soon they took a break to rest. "Back there, I said the geese are a beautiful sight to see," said Dad.
"Yeah, but they honked so loud I couldn't hear you," Jake replied. "It sounds like my Sunday school class. Some of the kids talk so much during the lesson, I miss half of what our teacher says."
Dad raised his eyebrows. "Just the other kids, huh?"
Jake blushed. "Well…sometimes I talk during class too."
"That's too bad. I'm sure it's very discouraging for your teacher. She cares about you kids and puts a lot of work into preparing the lesson because she wants you to know about Jesus and His love for you."
Jake started to reply, when…HONK! HONK!
"There they go again," Jake said as they watched the geese rise from the lake and fly off. "At least now they're far enough away so I can hear you." Jake thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you think they're talking to each other?"
"I'd say so. Some people think they're encouraging the leader," Dad replied. "The goose in the front has the hardest job flying against the wind currents because he's the first to hit the gusts of air. Maybe the others honk to cheer him on."
"Wow! That's really something," said Jake. "If a bunch of birds can encourage their leader, we should be able to do that for our teacher at church."
"You're absolutely right, Jake," said Dad. "You should cheer her on--but not by making noise like the geese do. Jesus put your teacher in your life so she could help you know Him better, and you and the other kids can encourage her by being good listeners."
Jake nodded. "I'll be quiet and listen--and I'll encourage the other kids in my class to stop honking too!"
-A. W. Smith
How About You?
Do you sit quietly and listen when your parents, teachers, or pastors teach you about Jesus and the truth of His Word? He gave us the Bible so we could know how much He loves us and what He did to save us, and He put those people in your life to help you understand what it says. Respect them by quietly listening so you can learn what God wants you to know.
Today's Key Verse:
My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. (NLT) (Proverbs 4:20)
Today's Key Thought:
Listen when the Bible is taught