Devotion - Pray Instead

Hi! I'm Tickles...I'm a little purple baby bear. Here's a story about me and my friends. I think you will like it, and learn a lot too.

One day, Tickles and Bouncy-Bear and Tumble-Monkey were having lunch at Tickles' house. They each had a yummy chicken sandwich, a peach, a glass of chocolate milk, and a couple of chocolate chip cookies for dessert. When everyone was finishing up, Tickles asked his mom, "I'm still hungry, Mom, can I have some more cookies?" "Wow, Tickles, you ate a lot! But if you're really hungry, you can have a couple more cookies." said Mom. So Tickles scarfed up the two cookies real quick and then went off to play with Bouncy and Tumbles.

They started playing hopscotch. But, Tickles was not having much fun. He, well...he just really didn't feel much like playing. He kinda just felt like eating some more. So he sneaked back into the kitchen when mom wasn't looking. He looked around for some snacks. O-o-o-h...there at the end of counter were some yummy potato chips! Mom must've forgot to put them away. So Tickles grabbed the chips and started munching away. Just then, Tickles heard footsteps..Quick! Tickles ran and hid down under the table and stayed real quiet. But, it was too late. Mom saw him. "Tickles, what are you doing under there?" She peeked under the table. "Nufin." Tickles mumbled with a mouth full of chips.

"Tickles, you come out from there right now!", mom demanded. "O.k." Tickles murmured. He came out holding the bag of chips. "Tickles, why are you still eating? You had so much for lunch already." "I don't know", said Tickles. "What's wrong, Tickles, why aren't you playing with Bouncy and Tumbles?" "I don't know... I just didn't feel like playing, I just felt like eating some more." "Why, Tickles, what's wrong?" Tickles just sat and thought for a minute. Well, I guess I just feel bad. Me and Big Brother had a fight this morning...then he went off to school before we could talk it out."

"Oh, I see," said Mom. "Well, instead of eating to try and forget your troubles...I have a better idea. Let's go to God and pray. He always helps us. He always makes things better." Ok, Tickles agreed. Tickles prayed, "Dear God, please forgive me for eating so much when I should've just prayed to you instead. I'm sorry for fighting with my brother this morning and being mean to him. Please help us talk things out when he gets home and make up. Forgive my brother, too, for being mean to me. Amen."

"That was a real nice prayer, Tickles", said Mom. "You can be sure that God heard your prayer and that he forgives you. Now, lets not worry any more. God will help you work it out with your brother".

"Yeah, I know God will help me...He always does! Thanks Mom, and Thank you too, God, for helping me. I'm starting to feel better already, mom."

"Good", mom said, "now go play and have fun". So, Tickles put the chips away, and went and played for a while. Soon Big Brother came home from school. As soon as Tickles saw his brother, he said, "Big Brother, I have something to talk to you about. I'm sorry for being mean to you this morning. Please forgive me". Big Brother had a sorry look on his face too..He replied, "Well....I'm sorry too...Actually I started the whole thing...I was mean to you first...can you forgive me too?" "Of course", "I forgive you," said Tickles. Now they were both smiling. They hugged real tight and made up. "Thank you, God, for my brother; and thank you for answering my prayer", Tickles whispered.

_______________________The End_________________________

That story had a happy ending, didn't it? Do you ever feel like eating when you feel bad? Except God doesn't want us to go to food to try to feel better. That only makes us feel better for a little while...then we feel even worse after we stuff our faces. And, it usually makes our tummy hurt, too. Instead of doing something that is not good for us, God wants to go to Him and pray about our problem. The food only makes us feel better for a little while. It doesn't really help anything. But, God always has the right answer for us. He always cares and helps us. So, next time, instead of eating when we feel bad, lets pray instead.

Lesson

I hoped you liked the story about going to God when you need help. Here's some activities to go with this story. Click on the boxes below to go to each activity.

PRAYER:

Dear God,

Thank you for loving me so much.

Thank you for caring about my feelings.

Thank you for listening to my prayers

Please help me remember to tell you about my problems instead of stuffing my face.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Game - What's The Best Thing To Do When You're Upset?

Picture - About Praying

Picture to Color - Bears having a snack