Sydney Jane And The “Not Fair” Christmas (For Children)نموونە

Season Change

James 1:16–18

Devotional:

“Happy Christmas Eve, Little Bit,” Sydney’s grandmother said.

Sydney smiled. “Good morning, G-Honey!” She bent down to hug her great-grandma. G-Honey looked tired. She was always so energetic and bouncy. But now she had to use a walker to get around, so she moved slowly.

“How’d you sleep? Do you like your mom’s old room?”

Syd paused before answering. “Not bad.” It wasn’t the greatest sleep. Her cousin Connor snored, and Gracie ended up in her bed, forcing Sydney between the wall and stinky feet. But—if Jesus could be born with animals all around, she reasoned, she could sleep with her little cousins who sounded like animals when they slept. She added, “Gracie ended up in bed with me, and Connor snores, but they have the sweetest faces when they sleep.”

“Well!” said Mom—entering the room. “It sounds like someone has a new outlook!”

Sydney sat down beside G-Honey, “Yeah. I figure there’s a lot of good you can see when you stop focusing on what’s unfair.”

G-Honey squeezed Sydney’s hand. “That’s right, Little Bit. I always think of the shepherds watching over the sheep in the field. It’s not a fancy job, but someone needed to do it. And those shepherds were the first to hear about the birth of Jesus. They saw a sky full of angels!”

Sydney stared at the blinking lights of the Christmas tree. Doing what I’m supposed to do even when it doesn’t feel fair can be rewarding—I guess.

QUESTIONS:

1. Do you ever get tired of doing the right thing? What makes it hard?

2. Do you think the shepherds were surprised when the angels appeared?

3. What are some of the rewards of doing the right thing?

Prayer:
Dear God,

Sometimes I get tired of doing the right thing. Help me to remember that doing the right thing—even if no one sees—is worth it. Amen.