NOVEMBER 25, John 17:17

Kam Tong held the headless clay animal in his hand. “Look, Mom!” he wailed. “How can I take this to school without its head?” He opened his other hand slowly; in it was a clump of deformed clay, hard and crusty. “This is all the clay I have left. It was going to be his head,” he mumbled. “I didn’t have time to finish it, and I forgot to put the clay back in the container to keep it soft!” “I’m sorry, Kam Tong,” said Mom, “but it’s too late to do anything about it now. It’s time you hopped into bed. You need your rest.”

“My animal project is due tomorrow, so all these work now was for nothing!” Kam Tong said with a groan. He dropped the materials onto his dresser, pulled back his covers, and slid between the sheets. He was still scowling when he said ‘good night’. Mom glanced at the Bible on Kam Tong’s dresser. “Aren’t you going to read a few verses before you go to sleep?” she asked. “I thought you did that each night.” Kam Tong sighed. “Well, I’ve been so busy lately,” he said. “Besides, I don’t understand it very well.” He pulled the covers up to his chin. “Do you think there’s much point in kids reading the Bible?” he asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to wait until I’m older and can understand it?” Mom picked up the animal Kam Tong had made. “Did you know we’re a lot like clay?” she asked. “We are?” asked Kam Tong.

Mom nodded. “The Bible compares us to clay that God can shape,” she said. “When you shaped this, it took time, didn’t it? You kept working with it until it looked good. God does that with us.” She picked up the hardened clay. “We need to stay pliable and not become like this clay,” she added. “One way to help with that is to spend time reading God’s Word – the Bible. Even though you don’t understand everything, you’ll learn more about God. As you obey Him, He’ll be working with you and shaping your life into something beautiful.”

Thought: Do you wonder if there is any use in reading the Bible at your age? Does it seem too hard to understand? Even though you do not understand everything, there will be many wonderful things you can learn.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have said that Your word is able to sanctify me. So help me to trust that, and to spend time learning more about You each day. I know there is power in the Scriptures, that as I read, I can be transformed to be more like Jesus. As I learn and obey, You will shape me into the person that You want me to be. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.