PUZZLING IT OUT

Puzzles are fun -- not just jigsaw puzzles, but mazes and other puzzles that make you think. It feels so great when you figure out the answer!

Not everyone likes to do puzzles for fun, but really, people do puzzles every day. Figuring out the answer to any problem is just like doing a puzzle.

The Apostles probably didn't like puzzles. They wanted quick, easy answers, not answers they had to think about. In this week's Gospel (Matthew 14:13-21), Jesus shows them an answer to a puzzle none of them figured out!

Puzzles are fun because it's a challenge to figure out the answer. If you trace a path in a maze, there's only one right way to get to the end; other puzzles have a bunch of answers that are all right.

When the Apostles wanted to send Jesus' listeners home, they thought they had the only right answer. It was getting dark and the people were hungry, so they had to go home and eat dinner -- right?

Well, Jesus had another answer to that puzzle. Instead of sending people away when they wanted to hear Him teach, He took the little bit of food there was and did a miracle. He made enough food for everyone.

When you're stuck on the answer to a puzzle -- or a problem -- it's a good idea to ask God for help. You might find answers you never expected!

NO SECOND-GUESSING

Do you know what "second-guessing" is? It's when you first think one thing, then decide you must be wrong and think something else. You don't wait to find out if you were right before you change!

Jesus' followers must have frustrated Him a lot. They second-guessed everything -- and in this week's Gospel (Matthew 14:22-33), a bad second guess almost ends up drowning one of them.

People usually second-guess when they're scared or unsure about something. You start to take an ice-cream bar outside to eat it, then you wonder if it's too hot out and the ice cream will melt all over you -- so you put it back without checking to see if it really is hot outside.

In the Gospel story, Peter second-guessed his own decision. When he saw Jesus walking on water, Peter thought it was so cool he wanted to do it, too. Jesus told him to go for it. But when he did, he suddenly thought, "This is crazy! People can't walk on water!" He second-guessed himself -- and he sank!

Second-guessing sometimes means you're not trusting that you made the right choice about something. But when it comes to trusting Jesus, there's no need to second-guess. If you follow Him like Peter did when he jumped up and went to Jesus, you won't sink. Jesus will always catch you!