Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: New Patch/New Wine - Old Garment/Bottle (Matthew 9:16-17, Mark 2:21-22, Luke 5:36-39} (01/04/24)
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TITLE: Teachable Moment | Previous Challenge Entry
By Pamela Kliewer
01/11/24 -
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“I'm gluing this cup back together. It broke.”
“Sweetheart, that won't work. You have so many pieces there and there will be too many little holes; the tea will spill right out of them.”
“But Grammy, it's my bestest cup!” Jessica exclaimed as a tear slid down her cheek. “My mommy gave it to me when she came back from the anniversary trip with my daddy. It's my favoritist thing in the whole wide world!”
“I understand, sweetheart, but it just won't work. You need a new cup. Maybe we can go to the store and find one for you that you'll like just as much.”
“Grammy, no!” Jessica banged her little fist on the table where she sat. “I love this cup!” She buried her head in her arms, sobbing.
“Sweetheart, I know it makes you sad. Let's buy you a new cup; we'll try and find one that's just like this one, or close to it.”
She put her arms around Jessica's shaking shoulders. Jessica turned, laying her head against Marta's chest. “Oh, Grammy, it's just so tragical!”
As Marta gently held Jessica, rubbing her back, she saw this as a teaching moment. “Jessica, will you please go get your Children's Bible for me?”
“Sure, Grammy.” Jessica jumped off the chair, swiped at her tear stained cheeks, and ran to get the Bible.
She came bounding back into the room. “Grammy, I love this Bible so much. It's my favoritist thing from you!” she exclaimed with a grin on her face.
“I'm glad! I want to read something to you. Do you know what a parable is?”
“No, Grammy.”
“Well, it's a story Jesus told to teach people things.”
“Do I need to be teached?”
Marta chuckled. “We all need to be taught from time to time, sweetheart.” She flipped through the pages as she spoke. “Ah here it is. When someone sews a patch over a hole in an old coat, he never uses a piece of cloth that is not yet shrunk. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat. Then the hole will be worse.”
Jessica looked at Marta with questions in her eyes. “What does that mean?”
“If you have a tear in your dress, to fix it, it's best to wash the new material first so that it will get smaller. Then we can sew it over the tear. The new piece of material will stay in place when the dress is washed. If it's not washed first, then the new material would shrink, but not the dress and the tear would be worse than before it was fixed.”
“What is that supposed to make me be teached?” Jessica asked.
“Well, just like you can't fix that cup, if you do something wrong you can't pretend you did nothing wrong, because it makes you feel worse. You have to ask Jesus to forgive you, and to change your heart.”
“You mean like asking Jesus into my heart? I did that already. I prayed with Daddy one day.”
“I know you did, sweetheart. Sometimes we still do wrong things. When we do, we have to tell Jesus, knowing that when we do, He will take the icky sin out of our lives and we'll have joy because our heart is right with God again. Do you understand?”
“I think so, Grammy. When I throwed the ball this morning and broke the lamp I told Mommy I didn't do it. I felt all jumpy inside. I still feel jumpy inside. I need to tell Jesus what I did and tell Mommy too, so my heart will be happy again?”
“Yes, that's exactly right.”
Jessica folded her hands in front of her, closing her eyes tightly, as tears seeped out. “Jesus, I broked Mommy's favoritist lamp this morning when I throwed the ball inside, after Mommy told me not to. I'm real sorry I did that. I want to go tell Mommy what I did, will you please make sure that she won't be mad at me for telling her I didn't do it? A-men. How's that, Grammy? Did I do OK?”
“Yes, dear, now go find your Mommy.”
Scripture reference: Matthew 9:16 ICB
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