Daily Devotional for May 18, 2021
The Old Desk
“Ew, gross! Why’d you bring that thing into our house?” asked Lindsay.
Mom smiled as she moved a sponge over the ugly piece of furniture. “It’s dirty right now, but it’s going to be your new desk.”
Lindsay shook her head. “I don’t want it. I want a pretty desk.”
“Just you wait,” Mom said. “This one will be pretty.”
That evening, Lindsay’s dad took her to the kids’ program at their church. As they pulled up in front of the church, Lindsay frowned when she saw one of the girls from her school standing outside.
Nikki was never nice to Lindsay or their teachers. She wasn’t nice at church either. She spent the whole evening interrupting their leader and picking on Lindsay.
When she got home from church, Lindsay sat on the floor and watched her mom continue to wipe the desk. “Why would Nikki be at church, Mom? She’s not nice.”
“Maybe she wants to learn about Jesus,” Mom said.
Lindsay shook her head. “She won’t change. And I don’t want that desk.”
The desk disappeared the next day, and Lindsay forgot about Nikki’s appearance at church.
Then it was time to go to the next week’s get-together. Lindsay looked at her mom. “I don’t want Nikki to be there. She’s not going to change. Can’t they send her home?”
Mom took her hand. “Let me show you something.”
Lindsay followed her mom into the garage. Her eyes grew wide when she saw a beautiful pink desk waiting there. “That’s so pretty! Is it for me?”
Mom laughed. “I thought you didn’t want it.”
Lindsay frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Sweetie, this is that old desk I was working on. This is that desk you thought was ugly.”
“It doesn’t look the same at all.” Lindsay walked over to the desk and touched it gently. “Wow! You made it look like new!”
“I did.” Mom smiled at her. “And Jesus can make Nikki new. You and I once looked like this old desk, but when we put our trust in Jesus, He made us new people. And He can do the same for Nikki. He’s not going to give up on her, and neither should you.”
-Emily Acker
How about you?
Do you know someone who doesn’t treat you or others well? Do you think there is no chance that person will ever change? Jesus can change anyone. He can scrape away our ugly sin and make us new people. He did that for you when you trusted in Him, and He can do it for that person too. Don’t give up on them—keep praying for them and pointing them to Jesus.
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?