Daily Devotional for May 16, 2022
Not Alone
I wish Mom wouldn’t leave me home alone when she goes out at night, thought Ivy as she huddled under the ragged sheet on her bed. She felt her stomach rumble. Her mother had told her to find herself something to eat, but there hadn’t been much in the cupboard other than a few crackers and peanut butter. Ivy hugged Ruffles, her teddy bear, close. “I’m so glad I got you back,” she whispered. Ruffles was very old and worn, and Ivy’s mother had tossed him into the trash. Just in time, Ivy had seen him there and rescued him.
Ivy sighed. I wish every day were Wednesday, she thought. That was when Mrs. Adams came to the community center after school and taught a children’s Bible club. “I love to hear about Jesus. He cares about everybody, even little kids and sick people,” Ivy murmured as she remembered the Bible story Mrs. Adams had told the week before.
“A man came to Jesus with a terrible disease—leprosy. It was a very contagious disease, and those who had it were covered with ugly sores, so lepers were sent to live alone outside the city,” Mrs. Adams had explained. “No one wanted to come near them or touch them. But Jesus loved the sick man, and He reached out, touched the leper, and healed him. Jesus loves you that much too. He came to our broken world to save us and give us a new life with Him, and He promises to be with us in our troubles.”
Ivy looked at her teddy bear. Mom thought Ruffles was ugly because he’s old and his stuffing is leaking out, so she threw him away, she thought. A tear slipped down her cheek. Sometimes I wonder if she thinks I’m ugly too. Sometimes she acts like she doesn’t even want me. Ivy thought again of the story of the leper, and another one Mrs. Adams had told about Jesus inviting little children to come to him when others tried to shoo them away.
“Thank You for loving me, Jesus,” whispered Ivy. “Thank You for being with me
all the time, even when I don’t feel you there. I’m so glad I’m never really alone.”
Ivy’s lips curved up in a smile as she hugged Ruffles closer to her, and soon she
fell asleep.
-Carolyn E. Yost
How about you?
Are there things in your life that make you sad? Do you feel alone—as though no one cares about you? Jesus cares. He left heaven and came to earth to rescue you. He understands everything you’re going through, and He promises to stay with you no matter what. You don’t ever need to be alone. Trust Him as your Savior today. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.) Then tell a trusted adult how you feel so they can help.
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