Daily Devotional for June 2, 2017
Play Tryouts, Hearts, and a Tin Man, Oh My!
Willow slammed the door and threw herself onto her bed sobbing. It wasn’t fair! She practiced just as hard as Leesha did for the play tryouts at school.
While her best friend was chosen for the lead part as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Willow was just one of the many Munchkins in Munchkinland who might get to sing about lollipops.
Knocking softly on the door, Mom entered her room and sat down beside Willow. “Your brother told me what happened.” She leaned over and gave her daughter a hug. “You know, I think my favorite character in The Wizard of Oz was the Tin Man.”
Willow sniffed. “Why?”
“Well, he wanted a heart so he could feel things. Can you imagine living life without feeling things?”
Willow shook her head. “But my heart doesn’t know how to feel right now.”
“That’s why we need to guard our hearts,” Mom said. “There’s a Bible verse that talks about guarding your heart above all else because it’s the wellspring of life.”
“What’s a wellspring of life?” Willow asked, sitting up and wiping the rest of her tears away.
“It’s where something starts,” Mom explained. “Your words and actions show what’s really in your heart, and every single thing you do flows from it. Jesus knows that some things in life are not going to be easy, and it’s how you respond to your feelings at those times that matters. Even though we may feel sad or upset, we need to make sure our feelings don’t take control of our hearts and make us act in ways that are wrong.”
“So what should I do about the play tryouts and Leesha?” Willow asked.
“Pray,” Mom said. “Pray for God to help you guard your heart and know what to do next.”
Willow thought about that. Closing her eyes, she prayed and asked Jesus to help her guard her heart and act like He would want her to. Then she had an idea. “Can I invite some friends over to watch The Wizard of Oz movie tonight after supper so I can get a head start on being the best Munchkin I can be?”
“Leesha too?” Mom asked.
Willow smiled and nodded. “Leesha too.” – Kelly Hope
How about you?
Have you ever felt sad or upset by something? Maybe you worked hard for something but it didn’t turn out the way you wanted, or someone said or did something that hurt your feelings. It’s okay to feel bad about those things, but don’t let your feelings take control of your words and actions. Instead, ask Jesus to help you guard your heart and know what to do next.
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