Daily Devotional for July 13, 2018
A Habit of My Own
Laila longed for a friend in the small town her family had recently moved to, but there was no one her age in the neighborhood. No one, that is, except Molly, and Laila didn’t want to be friends with her. “She giggles all the time,” Laila told her mother. “It drives me crazy!”
A few days later, Laila burst into the house after a party for her class at church. “Can I go to the game with Molly tomorrow night?”
Mom looked up in surprise. “Sure. Did you have a good time at the party?”
“Yeah…though some of the kids laughed at me,” Laila said. “We were sitting in a circle playing a game I never heard of before, and I was so nervous I started cracking my knuckles. Nellie made a big scene about it, and some of the kids laughed at me. I was so embarrassed!”
“That wasn’t very nice,” Mom said.
“Molly didn’t laugh, though,” Laila added. “She told Nellie she was being silly. Then I felt bad when I remembered how I put Molly down for giggling. I talked to her some more at the party, and you know what? She’s really nice!”
Mom smiled. “You know, this reminds me of why God says judging needs to begin with our own lives. Just like we all have a few annoying habits, we’re all sinners too. We all need Jesus. The Bible tells us that we can’t point out other people’s sins without taking a hard look at our own.”
“So we’re not ever supposed to point out things people do that are wrong?” Laila asked.
“That’s not what I’m saying,” said Mom. “We need to identify and address sin when we see it, but not in a way that puts ourselves above others. Now, bad habits aren’t necessarily sins, but let’s use them as an example. When you used Molly’s giggling as a reason not to be friends with her, that was wrong. Instead of judging her, Jesus wants you to realize you have faults of your own and reach out to her with kindness and love.”
“I guess Molly and I both have some bad habits we need to work on,” Laila said. “Now that we’re friends, we can work on them together!” – A. W. Smith
How about you?
Are you annoyed by someone who giggles or cracks their knuckles? Guess what—you probably have at least one strange little habit of your own. What about someone who has done something wrong—do you put them down or refuse to be friends with them? Remember that you’ve done many wrong things yourself, but that didn’t stop Jesus from being your friend. Instead of judging others, show them the kindness and grace Jesus has shown you.
Thank you for reading this Keys for Kids devotional! Did you enjoy the story? Has Keys for Kids been an encouragement to you and your family? If so, would you please consider supporting Keys For Kids Ministries in our effort to continue to provide these daily devotionals to children around the world?