Daily Devotional for January 21, 2023
Kya’s Mistake
Kya never meant to break Dad’s trophy. It sparkled on the shelf, a reminder of Dad’s football days. When Dad said, “Don’t run in the house,” Kya didn’t think about his trophy. She and her cousin Danny had only wanted to race. Now they stared at the broken trophy on the carpet.
“It was too close to the edge of the shelf,” Danny said. “It wasn’t our fault.”
“Danny…” Kya wanted to argue, but tears filled her eyes. What would Dad say?
“Are you afraid you’ll get in trouble?” Danny asked.
“No.” Kya sniffed. “I’m afraid I’ll hurt Dad.” More tears fell. After this, would Dad ever trust her again? “We have to tell him the truth.”
They knocked on Dad’s office door. “Come in!” Dad said. Kya walked in, but Danny hung back. Dad frowned at the sad look on Kya’s face. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I…I…”
Danny piped up from the doorway. “We were running, and your trophy fell and broke! We’re sorry, Uncle Bryce.”
Kya sobbed. “I’m sorry, Dad! I don’t know how I let this happen.”
Dad pulled her into a hug. “Oh, Kya,” he said. “You matter to me more than a trophy.”
Her tears dampened his shirt. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“We all make mistakes. Sometimes we hurt people. You know who else we hurt when we do the wrong thing?”
Kya nodded. “We hurt God.”
“Does God stop loving us when we mess up?”
Kya thought back to everything she’d learned from the Bible. “No. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to take the punishment for the wrong things we do. He did that so He could make us His children.”
“That’s right. God’s love is lavish. That means it’s generous and rich.” Dad kissed her forehead. “My love for you is also like that. I forgive you for breaking the trophy. I know you didn’t want to hurt me.”
Kya’s heart warmed. She looked behind her. “Where’d Danny go?”
“I think he was scared he’d get in trouble,” Dad said. “Maybe we should tell him about God’s love too?”
“Yeah.” Kya took Dad’s hand. “Let’s do it.”
-Becca Wierwille
How about you?
Have you ever made a mistake? Maybe you were afraid a family member or friend wouldn’t forgive you. Maybe you worried they wouldn’t love you anymore. As children of God, we have the best gift. We are loved no matter what! God showers us with a love so strong the world doesn’t understand it. And we can live our lives sharing that love with others.
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?