This is a devotional I recieved today, which I thought was a good one to post:
TITLE: Broken Shells
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 139:14-16; Exodus 4:10-11
THE STORY FOR TODAY:
Nick and his sister Laura were having a wonderful vacation at the seashore. They spent hours on the beach-swimming, building sand castles, hunting for shells, and making new friends.
"Want to come and find shells with Steve and me?" Nick asked his sister one day. "He knows where to find some big ones."
"Steve!" echoed Laura. "You're not going to play with him, are you? He talks funny. He sounds like a baby, and he can't walk good, either!"
"So what? That doesn't mean we can't play with him," replied Nick. "He's really nice-I like him."
"Well, if you're not careful, nobody else will want to play with you," Laura declared. "I'll find my own shells." She turned and went in the opposite direction.
When Laura returned home that afternoon, she found that Nick had gotten there first, and he had several very nice shells.
"Oh-h-h, Nick! Those are so big!" exclaimed Laura. "All I found are small ones. I like your shells a lot better than mine." She sighed as she added, "I wish I had gone with you."
"Even though Steve went with me?" asked Nick. Laura blushed and glanced at Mom.
"That's a fair question," said Mom. "I heard how you feel about Steve." She picked up one of Nick's shells and held it out to Laura.
"Look at this closely," she said.Laura took the shell and examined it. "It has a broken edge!" she said in surprise. She picked up another one.
"This one has a little crack, too." She sighed. "I thought they had to be perfect to be worth keeping, but even if they're not perfect, these are much nicer than mine."
"It seems to me you're treating people the same way you treated shells," said Mom. "Steve doesn't look perfect to you, so you threw him away-you refused to play with him."
Laura looked ashamed as Mom continued. "God made all of us-including Steve. We don't always understand why God does certain things, but He has a purpose for everyone and everything. We need to remember that each person is equally special to Him."
Nick nodded. "Think about it, Laura," he said. "You and I aren't perfect, either." Laura had to admit that Nick was right.
MEMORY VERSE: Who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Exodus 4:11
HOW ABOUT YOU? Do you know someone who has a special physical challenge? Perhaps someone who has trouble walking or talking or using his or her hands? Or maybe someone who can't speak clearly or doesn't see or hear well? Remember that no one is perfect-not even you. You don't have to understand God's reasons for making people as they are, but He expects you to accept them. Spend time with them, talk with them, and live in a way that shows them the love of Jesus.
THE KEY: Every person was created by God
THE SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 139:14-16
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
Exodus 4:10-11
Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?
~ "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." ~ Matthew 25:40 If not us, who will be like Jesus to the least of these?
Frank's Freedom
Meet Frank. He’s 13 years old, and is curious, busy, fun happy and bright. He has a mental delay, but that doesn’t stop him from being friendly, engaging and kind. He’s also an orphan in Eastern Europe. This means he is in an institution. If he is not adopted by age 16, he will be thrown out on the street with nothing but the clothes on his back and his “disabled orphan” status. Let me tell you more about Frank.
He’s little, about the size of a 7 year old. And he’s smart. He is in a group with teenage boys ages 16-24. He does puzzles and he does his chores diligently. He is very kind to the younger children. Frank is friendly and engaging. He likes being with the boys, but is happy being alone too. He plays appropriately with toys and is “all boy”. He could very easily function in a family. Frank is curious, smart, fun and sweet. He likes to play in the dirt and jump on the trampoline. Frank is independent, a good eater, is happy and content. Frank is physically healthy. He walks, runs, feeds himself, speaks, does puzzles and interacts with others well. He's a sweet boy who seems rather unaffected by his surroundings. He has no future where he's at, and without help, he's never getting out. Institutions are a one way ticket to nowhere. And this little boy deserves a future. This little boy will be a blessing to any family.
The Baker family has committed to adopt Frank and another boy, Emmitt. But international adoption is pretty expensive. The adoption would cost about $30,000. Reece’s Rainbow is an organization that helps with this cost. They set up grants for children in 25 countries around the world, and any money that is donated to these funds is given to the families to help with adoption fees. With Reece's Rainbow's help, the Baker family only needs about $10,000 to bring home both boys!
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