Never too young to help

Have you ever felt like whatever you wanted to do, you couldn't? You're too young to go out alone after dark, too short to ride a rollercoaster, too careless to rollerblade without knee pads.

Sometimes, you get angry about all the "no's." You can't do what you want, but you still have to do what the grownups say! You might feel tempted to say, "If I can't do this, then I can't do that, either. I'm just a kid!"

But this week's Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46) gives us a list of "yesses" -- things we all need to do, together.

"When I, the Son of Man, come back at the end of the world," Jesus said, "I'll separate the good people from the bad. I'll say to the good ones, `Come to heaven, because I was hungry and you fed me; thirsty, and you gave me a drink; naked, and you clothed me; sick or in jail and you visited me. When you did this for others, you did it for me.' But to the bad, I'll say, `When you wouldn't help others, you weren't helping me. Now, you're left out of heaven.'"

One reason it feels unfair to be a kid sometimes is that grownups get to tell themselves what to do. They do dangerous things like driving a car without wearing seat belts, even though they make you wear knee pads to rollerblade!

That's why Jesus gave us one fair set of rules for everyone -- kids and adults. When someone needs help, He said, help them. Give them food or a coat or some time to talk.

When you're tired of all the things you can't do and feel a little stubborn about still doing what you're told, it's easy to say, "I don't have to do that. You keep saying I'm just a kid!"

But Jesus didn't say anyone was too young or old, short or tall to do what He asked. All that matters when He comes back will be whether we're good or bad. When you're helping someone else, Jesus said, you're really helping God. But when you tell someone, "I won't do that. I'm just a kid!" you're saying that to Jesus, too. And He would never do that to us.

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me remember to always say "yes" to you, because you always do that for me! Amen.

(11-21-96)

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