ave
you ever had to move house? It wasn't a nice thing to do was it? You had to
leave all your friends behind and start all over again. Maybe you had to leave
some of your toys behind because they were too big to take with? Well today I
want to tell you a story of a little boy called Paul and how he had to move
and how Lord Jesus helped him.
Paul like most little boys had lots of toys and loved
playing with them and with his friends. He loved putting his toys out and
playing games where he could use most of them at one time. He also loved
playing outside with his bicycle and swing set. He would sometimes play a game
that the swing set was an airplane and he would swing in it pretending he was
flying his airplane through the sky. He would then jump out the airplane and
parachute safely to the ground. He would land on some grassland ready for what
waited him next. He would then take his bicycle, which to him was a motorbike
and would ride round the yard in search of wild animals to hunt. It was even
more fun when his friends joined in because it was almost like being on a real
hunt. He could play these games all day and would hate to see the sun set
because it meant it would soon be time to go inside and get ready for bed.
One day as the sun was setting and the day was ending, his
daddy came home from work with news that would change their lives forever. At
dinner that night Paul's Daddy told him the news, he told them that they where
going to be moving. The people that needed his daddy to work for them wanted
him to work for them as soon as possible, but they were very far away from
where Paul's family stayed now. In fact it was so far away that they would
have to go on an airplane over the seas to a new country and stay there.
Paul was so excited he could not believe his ears. He had
never been on an airplane and he had always wanted to go on one. He had seen
lots of movies about airplanes and how they work and what it was like to fly
in one, but never had he been in a real one. He wondered if he would get to
sit at the window so that he could look out of the plane as it took off and
flew in the sky. He was so full of questions that his daddy had a good laugh
at how excited he was about this whole flying and moving thing.
From that time on it was every exciting, getting photos
taken and getting black ink all over his fingers so his family could get all
the right papers they would need to travel and stay in the new country. Well
it did not take long and everything was in place and ready, they where almost
ready to do the big move.
Except for one very important thing! Can you imagine what
it was? It was what was going to be packed into the suite cases they were to
take with them. Paul asked his daddy how they where going to take all their
things that belong to them with them? It was then that Paul first started to
think that this moving thing was not such a good Idea and fun anymore! You see
unfortunately because they where moving so far away it would not be possible
for them to take everything they owned with them, except what they could put
into their suitcases. All the rest of their things would have to stay behind.
As Paul sat in his room and looked at all the things he
had, he knew there was no way he could fit all his clothes and toys into one
suit case. He knew that there were some of his toys he would have to leave
behind. This made his heart really sad because he loved his toys so much and
He could not imagine playing without them. How could he choose which ones to
take from all of them, when they where all his favorite toys?
It took some time and a lot of packing and unpacking and
packing again, but in the end Paul put in as much as he could fit. He was
feeling rather heart sore as he looked at all the toys he was leaving behind.
Then he thought about his friends and that they would also have to stay behind
too. He just wished there was some way he could take them with him to his new
house.
Paul's daddy could see that his little boy was not very
happy and came to see what he could do to help. As Paul told his daddy how sad
he was and how he wished there was some way that he could just take everything
with him, his daddy remembered a story in the bible and told it to Paul.
It was the story of Moses. You see Moses had grown up in
the palace of the king of Egypt and was one of the king's children. He had
everything he would ever want and if he didn't, I am sure he could just ask
and it would be given to him.
The only problem was that he was an Israelite and not a
real Egyptian. Now the Israelites where slaves to the Egyptians and they had
to work hard and long hours to make the Egyptians happy. Moses was special and
knew something had to be done, he wished he could help the Israelites to be
set free of being slaves.
One day Moses saw an Egyptian hurting an Israelite, Moses
got so cross and he attacked and killed the Egyptian by mistake. What was
Moses to do? He had killed a man and that was the worst thing anyone could
ever do! If anyone found out what he had done he would be punished and killed
for killing the Egyptian. So he ran away from Egypt to the land of Midian far,
far away. He had never been to Midian before in his whole life.
He left in such a hurry that he took nothing with him
except the clothes he was wearing. He did not even pack a suitcase or anything
like that. He had to leave everything behind including his family and run to a
completely new place where the king of Egypt could not find him.
Well even though Moses had done such a terrible thing, God
still loved him and looked after him. And it so happened that when Moses got
to the land called Midian, he was just in time to help a man's daughters out
of trouble that they where in. So after that he got to live with this man and
his family - they became his new family.
Even though Moses had to give up all the things that
belonged to him and give up his family in Egypt, God helped him to find a new
family and to get more things in the new land. Moses later went back and took
his real family out of Egypt with Gods help - Yes, all the Israelites left
Egypt and followed Moses!
Paul felt a little silly for being so upset about all his
things. He was so glad that he did not have to leave his mommy and daddy
behind like Moses had to. Could you image going somewhere and never seeing
your mommy or daddy ever again? He knew that even though he loved his toys,
they where not as important as Lord Jesus and His Family was to him. So right
there he decided to pray a prayer that went like this:
"Lord Jesus Thank you
for always hearing and looking after me!
Thank you that you are always with me - no matter where I go even in other
countries!
Thank you for my parents and that we are together and we love each other so
much!
Please help us as we move and help us to be happy in our new country!
In Jesus Name,
Amen!"
It was then that Paul knew everything was going to be okay
and that Lord Jesus was going to make everything better. With a happy heart
Paul gave his toys to a special home where children stayed who did not have
mommies or daddies. They did not have many nice toys so they were very happy
to get the toys from Paul and the lady that looked after the children thanked
Paul for being such a kind little boy.
The big day arrived and it was time for them to leave. Paul
was feeling very sad in saying goodbye to his friends and family that where
staying behind, but was also feeling very excited about going to the new
country. As they got on the airplane Paul's daddy showed him his seat and you
guessed it, it was by the window just like he had hoped. He watched as they
got everything ready for them to go - It was a lot of work to get an airplane
ready!
The engines started with a big 'whine' and then the
airplane started moving to the runway where they would takeoff. It seemed to
go forever and then suddenly stopped. Paul wondered why it had stopped and
looked outside the window and saw other airplane in front of them waiting to
takeoff. They would have to wait their turn before they could takeoff. Well
their turn came and the pilot told them to all sit down and put their
seatbelts on.
Once everyone was ready the engines started to make an even
loader sound than before and all of a sudden Paul saw the runway below the
airplane start moving faster and faster. In fact it was going so fast Paul
found it very hard to sit straight, he was being pushed back into his seat.
Then the airplane lifted off the ground and headed up towards the sky. All the
houses and cars below them became as small as ants, Paul could not believe how
far he could see from so far up.
All the way he looked out the window of the airplane and it
felt really funny to fly so high in the sky. He was flying in and above the
clouds. It was weird to be in the same clouds he had seen from the ground so
many times and now he was flying in them. One thing still stayed the same -
they still looked like pretty soft cotton wool.
After a very long time of flying and having to wait at
other airports for the airplanes they had to take, they finally reached the
new country and Paul found it to be a very strange place, nothing like he
expected. The cars all drove on the wrong side of the road and the people all
talked funny. They even use other word for different things, like 'Gasoline'
instead of 'Petrol' or 'Cookies' instead of 'Biscuits'. He found it hard to
understand them sometimes, but the more he spoke to them the more he
understood them. As they pulled up into the driveway of their new house Paul
was very surprised see a whole group of people waiting for them.
You see, Paul's daddy had family that had moved over to
this country before Paul was born and lived in a house near by. What was even
more of a surprise is that they had children around the same age as Paul. At
fist Paul did not know how to play with them or what to say, but that changed
when they showed Paul their toys and Paul showed them his. They had better
toys than the toys Paul had, but they had fun playing together and sharing
them with each other.
Well before long, Paul had an even better collection of
toys than he had ever had and not only that, he was given a brand new bicycle
too. Him and his cousins would often play together and have fun just like Paul
used to have fun with his old friends. Paul was so happy he had moved and just
knew that God had taken care of everything!
Are you like Paul, moving and giving up things you love?
Are you scared about going to your new house? Well do you know that you are
special and that God loves you very much? He knows everything and has already
made a plan for you! He wants to see you happy and bless you with lots of nice
things. Even though you might have to give up some of your favorite things,
God will always make a plan to give you the things you really want in your
heart. Just ask him and watch as he makes everything prefect for you!
The End.
