Bible Reading: Romans 8:35-37; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 1 Peter 4:12–14
Alisha ran inside the house. "There's a butterfly outside!" she exclaimed. "I got a picture on my phone. Do you want to see it?" she asked Devin, her older sister.
"Sure." Devin inspected the photo. "That butterfly is beautiful," she said as she cut into a mango.
Alisha frowned as juice hit her phone. "That mango juice is getting everywhere."
Devin shrugged as a piece of mango flew across the kitchen. "I'm trying to keep it from splashing all over the place, but mangos are messy."
Alisha sat down at the counter and watched her sister. "Why eat mangos then? If they're messy, you could just not buy them."
Devin popped a piece of mango into her mouth. "Because they taste really good, and I think it's worth it." She gave Alisha a smile. "It's kind of like your school problem."
Alisha blinked. "Your mango is like people being mean to me at school because I believe in Jesus?" she asked doubtfully.
"Kind of. Being a follower of Jesus can be messy. The Bible even tells us that--it says others might make fun of us or try to make life harder for us, like the kids at school who are mean to you. But you haven't stopped trusting in Jesus, have you?"
Alisha looked shocked. "Why would I do that? He died for my sins so He could be with me all the time, and someday I'll be able to spend forever in heaven with Him."
Devin smiled. "See? Knowing Jesus is worth it. Just like the mangos." She cut into a second mango.
Alisha ducked so no juice would hit her. "I don't care how messy following Jesus is! Just like you don't care how messy your mango is." She thought about that for a moment. "I guess that makes sense. Kids at school make fun of me, but I know that Jesus loves me and died to save me, and that's worth whatever mean stuff people say." Alisha shrieked as a piece of mango hit her arm. "But those mangos are not worth it at all. I'm getting out of here!"
–Kimberly Brokish
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