Get in the middle

Kids are always lining up for something. Sometimes, the person whose name starts with "A" is first in line; other times, the shortest kids are in front and the tallest in back. You feel glad when you're not the first or last, but right in the middle!

Jesus would know how you feel. In this week's Gospel (Luke 19:9-14), He says that people are never all good or all bad. Every person is somewhere in the middle!

"Two men went to a temple [like a church]," Jesus said. "One stood up front and prayed, `God, I'm so glad I'm a good person. I obey the law and give money to the temple -- not like that terrible tax collector!' But the tax collector, who was thought of as a bad person, stood in a corner and bowed his head, saying, `God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'" Jesus finished, "The tax collector was the one God was happy with -- because those who show off will be humbled, but those who are humble will be made great."

The men in Jesus' story were different. The first man thought he was great. He sat in front in church and talked about what a good person he was. The tax collector had a bad job and didn't like himself, so he sat in back and said what a terrible person he was.

Kids like being in the middle because you know the ones in front and back get more attention, and that can make you shy. In the middle, you feel just like everybody else!

But Jesus said that we're all in the middle. The man who thought he was great wasn't great because he made fun of the tax collector. God was happy with the tax collector, who thought he was a terrible person, because he was humble and didn't show off.

The next time you line up, remember: Even if you're in the front or back, that doesn't make you different from the other kids. Nobody's the greatest or the worst; to God, we're all in the middle!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me remember that to you, I'm always in the middle! Amen.

(10-22-98) [[In-content Ad]]