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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me understand why I change hobbies, sports and more! Amen.


Walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw Simon Peter and Andrew fishing. "Come with me, and I'll make you fishers of people," Jesus called. Then He saw James and John, and called them. All the men left their fishing nets and followed Jesus.

Remember when you were totally into playing Wii games, or reading the Harry Potter books over and over again? Kids lose interest in things all the time. You do something constantly for a while, and then you move on to another game, sport or toy.

Adults sometimes do that with jobs! In this week's Gospel (Mark 1:14-20), Jesus meets four guys who have probably been fishermen since they were teenagers. With hardly any convincing, they change careers as quickly as dropping nets and walking away from boats.

For kids, ending a hobby or sport can happen slowly or suddenly. You may not even notice that you're playing with the Wii less and less, until your family complains that it's taking up room. You may read the same books until you've practically memorized them - and then get bored with Harry Potter and never read them again.

Part of the reason this happens is that you're ready for something new. The Apostles must have been ready, too. Without thinking much about it, they must have been wishing for a closer relationship with God and wanting to do something besides catching fish.

When Jesus invited them to join Him, it was so obvious that it was time to move on! They had found what they really wanted: to fish for people, to learn about God and help people get closer to Jesus.

There's nothing wrong with a Wii, or a book, or a fishing boat - until you're ready to try something better. Peter, Andrew, James and John were definitely ready![[In-content Ad]]

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