Daily Devotional for February 28, 2018
Silent Friend
“Hey, Dad,” Nate said as he plopped down on the couch next to his father, “today I tried to be kind like Jesus, but it didn’t work.”
“Really?” asked Dad. “What happened?”
“I tried to be friendly to Paul—he’s new at school—but he’d hardly talk to me. I asked if he wanted to sit with me at lunch, and he said no. During recess I asked him if he wanted to play, and he just shrugged and said, ‘I don’t think so.’ He must not want friends.”
“Any idea why he acted that way?” asked Dad.
“Well, Jackson says Paul had to change schools because his dad is in jail and his mom had to sell their house and move to an apartment,” Nate replied.
“It sounds like Paul has a lot of things on his mind,” said Dad.
“I know, but doesn’t he need a friend?” asked Nate.
Dad nodded. “Remember when you broke your leg? Your friends came over with books and games to cheer you up, right?” Nate nodded. “As I recall,” Dad said, “you weren’t very interested in them that day. Your pain medicine made you sleepy, but if you didn’t take it, your leg hurt too much. You didn’t feel good enough to do anything.”
“Yeah,” Nate said. “That was a bad day.”
“You were healing, so you needed space,” said Dad, “and Paul may need time too. With all the difficult things that have happened in his life recently, he must be hurting. He might not have enough energy to make new friends right now. Maybe you can ask Jesus to show you another way you can be a friend to him.”
That’s when Nate got an idea. He took a piece of paper and wrote, “Paul—I’m sorry if I bugged you today. I won’t do that anymore. How about I be your silent friend? If you want to play with me, just let me know, okay? Nate.”
The next morning, Paul was standing alone on the school playground, so Nate walked over and handed him the note. “What’s this?” asked Paul.
Nate decided to remain a silent friend, so he just smiled. As he left, he glanced back over his shoulder. Paul was reading the note, and Nate thought he saw a little smile appear on his face. – Janice M. Jones
How about you?
Are you sensitive to how other kids feel? Be friendly with others, but don’t be upset if someone wants to be left alone. They may be dealing with difficult things and not want to talk about them. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still be a friend to them. Pray about the situation and ask Jesus to show you how you can help. Show His kindness to those who are hurting.
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