Daily Devotional for October 29, 2022
Worth It
“Hey, buddy,” Dad said to Jamal as he cleared away the lunch dishes, “after I help your mom clean up, let’s head over to the park.”
“Nah, that’s okay,” Jamal said quietly. “I don’t really want to go.”
“That doesn’t sound like you,” said Dad. “You usually love going to the park. What’s up?”
Jamal hesitated, then said, “I heard a couple of ladies talking at church this morning about how difficult it must be for you and Mom to take care of me with my disability. I feel like it’s not fair you have to do all these extra things for me that other kids don’t need. You have so much to do; it’s not worth your time.”
Dad put his hand on Jamal’s shoulder. “What was our lesson about in Sunday school this morning? And you better remember, because I’m your Sunday school teacher!”
Jamal chuckled. “It was about the demon-possessed man Jesus healed.”
“Yes,” Dad said, reaching for his Bible. “But there’s something significant about that story I didn’t have time to talk about this morning. In the chapter before, Jesus spends all day preaching on one side of the lake and then asks His disciples to take Him across the lake in a boat. They endure a terrible storm during the night that Jesus silences with just His words, then arrive safely on the shore where the man is living among the tombs. Then look here—after healing the man, where does Jesus go next?”
Jamal looked at the verse. “Back across the lake.”
“That’s right. So Jesus took the time, and the disciples’ time, and risked all their lives in that storm just to go find one man everyone else had given up on.” Dad looked Jamal in the eyes. “Jesus believed that one individual was worth all His time and energy that day. Do you think Jesus feels any differently about you?”
Tears filled Jamal’s eyes as he shook his head.
“In fact, Jesus is so sure of your worth that He died on the cross for you,” Dad said.
“So what you’re saying is, if I’m that important to Jesus, I’m pretty important to you and Mom too, right?”
Dad smiled and called toward the kitchen, “Hey, honey, is Jamal pretty important to us?”
Mom looked up from the dishes and grinned. “You better believe it! Now you two better head to the park before all that good sunshine is wasted!”
-Karen McMillan
How about you?
Do you sometimes have a hard time believing you are worth it? Maybe you feel the stress of others and think you are just too much for them to handle. Jesus never feels that way about you. He created you for a purpose, and He sacrificed His life for you. You are worth loving!
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?