Daily Devotional for July 22, 2021
Bubblegum Blahs
Bethany stared longingly at the gum and candy display in the checkout line. “Mom? Can I get a pack of gum?” she asked.
“Not today, Bethany,” Mom responded, sounding flustered.
Turning back to the display, Bethany noticed a new bubblegum flavor. Glancing behind her and checking that her mom was busy paying the clerk, she grabbed the pack of bubblegum and quickly stuffed it into her boot.
After helping put the groceries away at home, Bethany went outside and sat on the front steps. Reaching a hand into her boot, she pulled out the pack of stolen bubblegum and popped a piece of watermelon gum into her mouth. It didn’t taste as good as she thought it would.
“What’s wrong with you?” her brother Wesley asked her later that evening at dinner. “Do you have the blahs?”
“Leave me alone,” Bethany said. But she knew Wesley was right. She did have the blahs…the bubblegum blahs. And they followed her all the way into the night.
Around 2:00 a.m., Bethany gave up on trying to sleep. Crawling out of bed, she padded to her mom’s bedroom. “Mom, wake up. I need to tell you something.”
“What is it, honey?” her mom answered drowsily.
Bethany hesitated. “I…I stole something today. When you said I couldn’t have any gum at the store, I took it anyway and didn’t pay for it. And now I just feel…”
“Blah?” her mom guessed. Bethany nodded miserably. “And are you sorry that you did it?” Mom asked.
“Very sorry,” Bethany said.
“Then tell Jesus that,” Mom told her. “The Bible says it’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. Jesus doesn’t want us to suffer the guilt and shame of sin, so He took the punishment of sin Himself by dying on the cross. When we repent—which means admitting we’ve done wrong and turning away from our sin to Jesus—He’ll forgive us.”
Bowing her head, Bethany asked Jesus to forgive her for stealing and to help her make it right.
The next morning, Bethany’s mom drove her to the grocery store to apologize to the manager and pay for the stolen bubblegum. As she walked out of the store, God’s kindness and forgiveness flooded Bethany’s heart and followed her into a brand-new day. -Kelly Hope
How about you?
Have you done something wrong? How did it make you feel? Jesus wants to replace your feelings of guilt and shame with His love and forgiveness. When you confess your sin to Him, He will forgive you and show you kindness and compassion. Repent of your sin and turn to Him. Then trust Him to help you apologize to anyone you hurt by your actions and make things right.
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