Daily Devotional for July 7, 2017
Monkey Business (Part 1)
Naomi, a missionary kid, lived along the Amazon River in South America. She had a unique variety of pets. She especially loved Mickey, her kitten-sized monkey, but he was such a rascal! One day, he scampered to the bookcase and cautiously ran his hand across the books. Then he began tearing strips off the paper jackets and shredding them to bits.
“Mickey! What are you doing?” Naomi scooped him up and ruffled his fur. He swished his long bushy tail in aggravation. “Stop ripping the books or you’ll have to go outside,” Naomi told the little animal, who understood a large number of words. Mickey calmed down—he didn’t like going outside by himself—so Naomi set him on the floor. As she cleaned up the mess, Mickey turned and picked up his tail, combing his fingers through the long, silky black fur.
As soon as Naomi disappeared into her room, Mickey hopped back to the bookcase and resumed the shredding. Naomi heard the faint sound of tearing paper and came back to the living room. “Bad monkey!” she said sternly. She set him down with his toys and played with him a little while before returning to her room.
Mickey immediately scooted back to the bookcase. He was having a great time when Naomi suddenly lifted him into the air. He flicked his tail furiously and screetched, but he couldn’t pull himself from Naomi’s grip.
“I don’t want to do this, Mickey, but you have to learn to behave!” Naomi said as she opened the door and dropped Mickey onto the hot cement patio.
Naomi could still hear Mickey chattering angrily outside as she picked up torn pieces of paper off the floor. Mickey reminds me of how I acted when I got in trouble last week, she thought. I was so mad at Mom and Dad for grounding me. But now I know they were shaping me to be a better person because they love me.
As Naomi went back to her room, she thought of something else. Dad says God also disciplines us by using difficult experiences to shape us to be like Jesus because we’re His children and He loves us. I guess I understand that a little better now.
– Teresa B. Chiano
How about you?
Have you been disciplined by your parents lately? Remember they do it because they love you and want you to learn to do what’s right. God disciplines His children too because He loves them and wants them to learn to be more like Jesus. Instead of getting angry the next time you face something difficult, ask God to use it to shape you into the person He wants you to be.
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?