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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me just do work when I need to, even if I don't feel like it! Amen.

When they saw the miracles Jesus was doing, 5,000 people followed Him to a field. They were tired and hungry, but Jesus didn't want to send them home. He took five loaves of bread and two fish, blessed them and gave them to the people. Suddenly, there was enough for everyone! Then the people knew Jesus was sent by God.

It's hot. You've been busy all day. The last thing you want to do is work -- but of course, your parents tell you to mow the lawn, put your clothes in the laundry hamper or clean up after the dog. You're tired! You just want to relax!

This week's Gospel (John 6:1-15) talks about 5,000 people who gathered way out in a giant field to listen to Jesus. They were happy to be there, but many had traveled a long way to see Him, and now they were tired and hungry and far from home.

What the Gospel doesn't say, but you can probably guess, is that Jesus was tired and hungry, too! After all, He'd been talking about God for hours, and probably healing a lot of people. He must have needed a rest as much as the other 5,000 people.

Most kids don't give in gracefully when they're tired and they're asked to do work. You might groan and complain, say something you shouldn't or do the work slowly, dragging your feet about getting it finished.

That's one difference between us and Jesus: He just did the work. He must have been more exhausted than a kid after a long summer day of playing, but He didn't listen to people who said, "Just tell everyone to go home." Instead, He made sure everyone got something to eat.

Work is work. It's not easy -- especially when you're tired and hot. But if something needs to get done, it's a good idea to follow Jesus' example. If He could feed 5,000 people, you can probably put your dirty clothes in the hamper![[In-content Ad]]

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