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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me understand that you really are fair to me. Amen!.

"A poor man named Lazarus used to sit by a rich man's door, hoping for table scraps to eat," Jesus said. "The rich man never gave him anything. Then both men died, but only Lazarus went to heaven. The rich man begged God, 'Send Lazarus to help me!' But God said,'You had good things while you were alive, and Lazarus didn't. Now, he can have them, and you can't!'"

Kids are all about fairness - and a lot of things seem unfair when you're a kid. Someone in your class might be allowed to eat more junk food; your sister gets to stay up later every night because she's older. Sometimes, it feels like things will never even out!

This week's Gospel (Luke 16:19-31) talks about ways things can be unfair in your favor. It's easy to see when you aren't getting as much as someone else, but harder to admit when you're getting more.

The man in Jesus' story never paid attention to how much food and comfort he had compared to Lazarus, who was homeless and starving! If he thought about it at all, the rich man probably thought, "I'm not that rich. I don't have that much extra to give away."

For all the times when things seem unfair, you can probably find a lot of ways you have it better than other kids:

• The kid in your class who eats fast food might not have the money for a good meal at a restaurant, but your family goes out often.

• Older kids might stay up later, but they also have more homework to do while they're staying up!

Even if things seem unfair for a long time, God does even things out. As the rich man found out, the poor man got to be at peace, with God. But the man who had plenty to share but didn't got his "fair share," too - which didn't make him very happy!

(09/23/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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