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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, teach me not to be afraid of change, but to dive right into it! Amen.

Jesus talked about His death, saying, "Unless a piece of wheat dies, it's just a piece of wheat. But if it dies -- if it's harvested and made into food -- it helps many people. I'm worried about dying, but that's why I came into the world. When I'm lifted up to heaven, I'll pull everyone on Earth closer to me."

Looking at old pictures of yourself can be hilarious. Whether you were a blond baby whose hair got darker, or a toddler obsessed with "Dora the Explorer" when you're all about Minecraft now, you have definitely changed a lot!

Everyone changes. No one -- not even Jesus, says this week's Gospel (John 12:20-33) -- comes into the world and just stays the same for life. We're not meant to.

Growing and changing are part of every kid's life. You get taller, bigger and older; the foods you like and the pastimes that interest you change.

Most of all, you change in your understanding of the world. Remember all the things that confused you as a little kid? It seems silly now to think that you didn't understand what an anniversary was, or you worried that monsters lived under your bed.

The Gospel story is about how Jesus changed. He compares Himself to wheat: It grows in farmers' fields, but it's harvested and made into grain that's used for bread, cereal and other foods. Unless the wheat is cut down and chopped up, we can't eat it.

Jesus came into the world to change. He changed the people around Him with His teachings about God, and then He Himself changed: He died on the cross to show how much God loved the world. Jesus could have stopped Himself from dying, but He didn't. He allowed people to hurt Him to show that absolutely nothing -- not even being crucified -- can stop God from loving us.

Everyone changes. Jesus changed from being in heaven to being a person. He changed from being a free person to being arrested. Then He changed again, going from our world back to heaven.

Don't be afraid of change. Jesus' last change allowed Him to "pull everyone on Earth closer" to God![[In-content Ad]]

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