Daily Devotional for December 22, 2018
Worth the Pain
Jacob grinned up at his dad as they walked down the front steps of the church together. “Papi, Camila is so cute,” he said. His baby sister curled against Papi like a small purple cloud, head resting on his shoulder. Her eyes were shut tight and her mouth was smooshed open, and little breaths hissed through it.
“Si, Jacob, she is. Keep walking. We’re late. Abuelita will be waiting.” Jacob followed after Papi as he walked down the sidewalk toward the car.
Then Jacob watched like it was in slow motion: His dad tripped and fell on the sidewalk, right on top of little Camila.
“Papi! No! Are you okay? Is Camila okay?” Jacob exclaimed, running to his dad.
Papi groaned as he rolled onto his side and then sat up, still cradling Camila. She started to cry, but Jacob couldn’t see any injury.
Papi didn’t look too good. Especially his hand, which had hit the sidewalk when he fell holding Camila’s head. Blood ran down onto his wrist. But he ignored that as he rubbed the back of her fuzzy head.
“Oh, Camilita, are you okay?” he said as he rocked her. “Does your head hurt? Papi is here. Papi’s got you.”
“Papi, your hand is bleeding a lot. It got scraped when you fell,” Jacob said.
“I know it did,” Papi said. “It’s much better for my hand to get hurt than for Camila to get hurt. When I realized I would fall, I put my hand on the back of her head. I knew it would hurt, but it was worth it so she would be safe.”
“You know,” he added as Jacob pulled him to his feet, “it reminds me of Jesus. He wanted to save us from our sins so badly that he was willing to be hurt on the cross for us. He gave a lot more than a hand, though—He gave His whole life. He loved us enough to die for us.” Papi looked at his scraped hand and smiled. “I’m so thankful He was willing to suffer and die so we could be saved.”
Jacob nodded as Camila squeezed her tiny hands into fists and yawned. “Me too.” – Amy Glendinning
How about you?
Do you ever wonder why Jesus was willing to suffer and die for us on the cross? Sometimes love is so strong that it makes someone willing to experience great pain to help the person they love. Thank Jesus for gladly taking the punishment for your sins so you could be saved. That’s how much He loves you!
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?