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

Change in Plans

“Christmas is officially ruined!” Sydney exclaimed. She ran out of the living room and into her bedroom. She threw herself onto her bed. Muffled tears soaked her pillow.

This is so unfair, thought Sydney. No cocoa. No matching pajamas. No presents on Christmas Eve with just Mom and me. Not. Fair.

The door creaked, and the mattress sunk. Mom reached for Sydney’s hair—now plastered to her face. Strand by strand, Mom pulled back the tear-stained locks and placed them behind Sydney’s ear.

“Syd, I know you’re disappointed. I didn’t expect Christmas to look like this, either.” She paused. “Sometimes—well—a lot of times, life just isn’t fair.”

Sydney huffed. Life had been a whole lot of “not fair” lately, and she was tired of it.

“Did you know that the first Christmas was unfair?”

Sydney lifted her head and turned toward her mom. She rubbed her arm under her nose and asked, “What do you mean the first Christmas wasn’t fair?”

“Well—the Virgin Mary was just a teenager when an angel visited her and told her she was going to have a baby. I’ll bet she was scared.”

Sydney cocked her head —puzzled.

Mom continued, “Mary had plans to marry Joseph, but what if he didn’t want to marry her anymore? What if he didn’t understand that the baby was a part of God’s plan for them? She had to trust God was with her—even when life felt really unfair.” Mom cupped her warm hands around her daughter’s face. “Sydney Jane—sometimes life isn’t fair. But even when it is, we can always trust that God has a plan.”

Sydney sighed. She knew her mom was right, but she still felt sad. Christmas at her G-Honey’s house was an okay way to spend the holidays—it just wasn’t what Sydney wanted.

QUESTIONS:

1. Have you ever had plans that were ruined? How did it make you feel?

2. Do you think it was hard for Mary to trust God?

3. What can you do to trust God when life seems unfair?

Prayer: Dear God, Sometimes my plans don’t go how I want them to go. Help me to trust you even when life feels unfair. Amen.