Jesus fills us up

It's fun to do something nice for someone just because you feel like it. You give your sister the last chocolate chip cookie, teach a friend to swim or draw a big picture for your dad.

Helping other people feel good helps you feel good, too! Jesus knew how good it feels to help someone. In this week's Gospel (John 6:1-15), He helps some hungry people to feel better inside and out!

When they saw the miracles Jesus was doing, five thousand people followed Him to a grassy field. They were tired and hungry, but Jesus didn't want to send them home. "Have them sit down," He told the Apostles. Then Jesus 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.

Helping someone else sometimes means giving up a little yourself. Maybe you wanted the cookie you gave your sister, but you knew she would love it. In the Gospel story, Jesus was tired and wanted to rest, but He gave up His rest and even did a miracle by making extra bread and fish to feed them all.

The best part of helping someone is seeing how happy they are. If your sister was having a bad day, getting that extra cookie won't just fill her stomach -- it might help her remember how much people care about her.

Jesus did the same thing for the people He fed. They followed Him everywhere but couldn't stop thinking about how hungry they were! Jesus filled their stomachs, and then they could see that He must be from God, because God cared about helping them feel better.

Doing one nice thing for someone helps them to do that for others. That's what happened for Jesus: After He fed the people, they were ready to listen to Him teach about God, so they could help others learn! After their stomachs were full, Jesus filled their hearts.

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me to do something nice for people whenever I feel like it -- and sometimes when I don't! Amen.

(07-24-97) [[In-content Ad]]