Guilty

Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids

Bible Reading: Psalm 130

Where's Pippi? wondered Monica when she got home from school. She always meets me at the door. Then she saw it--a trail of tissue paper from the bathroom down the hall. "Oh, you naughty puppy! Come here, Pippi!" A brown ball of fur came slinking out from under Monica's bed, tail tucked between its legs. Monica laughed. "You know you're guilty, don't you?" she said, picking up the puppy and rubbing her fur. "But I love you anyway, and I forgive you. Let's get this mess cleaned up."

That night, Monica had trouble sleeping. She couldn't forget something bad she had done that afternoon. She tossed and turned as it went over and over in her mind. Why did I do that? she kept asking herself. Jesus must be so mad at me. I wish I could hide! She pulled the blanket over her head, but it didn't help. Suddenly, Monica shivered. "Mom!" she called. "Mom!"

The light came on, and Monica blinked as she lowered the blanket and saw Mom's concerned look. "Oh, Mom," said Monica, wide-eyed. "It seemed like Jesus was right here!"

"Why does that scare you?" asked Mom. "You know Jesus loves you and is always with you."

Monica's voice shook. "Well, I…I stole some money from Saralyn. It was on her desk, and--"

"And that's why you're afraid." Mom put her arms around Monica. "Remember how Pippi tried to hide after dragging the tissue paper down the hall from the bathroom?"

Monica nodded. "Yes, but it didn't work. I knew where she was hiding and what she'd done. She knew too. I could tell she was ashamed, and I forgave her."

"Well, we often try to do the same thing with God," said Mom. "When we sin, the sense of God's presence can be frightening and make us feel ashamed. But we don't ever have to hide from God in shame, because Jesus took the guilt and shame of our sins on Himself when He died on the cross. When we confess our sin to Him, He will forgive us, just like you forgave Pippi."

"I'll ask Him to forgive me now," said Monica. "And I'll return the money tomorrow." Together, Mom and Monica bowed their heads and prayed. Then Monica snuggled down under the covers, and soon she was fast asleep.

–Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?
Are you ever afraid of God and want to hide from Him? That usually means you know you've done something wrong and feel ashamed of it. But you can't hide anything from God--He already knows all about it, and He wants to forgive you! Jesus paid for all your sins so you wouldn't have to hide. Tell Him what you did and ask His forgiveness. He loves you and wants to give you peace.
Today's Key Verse:
If we confess our sins, God will forgive us. (ERV) (1 John 1:9)
Today's Key Thought:
Confession brings forgiveness