Stop and think -- sometimes

John the Baptist saw Jesus and said, "There's the Lamb of God!" Right away, two men named Andrew and John asked Jesus, "Teacher, where are you staying?" Jesus answered, "Come see." Andrew told his brother, Peter, "We have found the Messiah, who'll save the world!" The three men left with Jesus and became His first Apostles.

Adults are always telling kids to stop and think. They want you to look before you cross the street, think before you talk and stop yourself when you get angry before you say something you shouldn't. But kids can get impatient with all those instructions. You don't want to sit around thinking; you want to jump up and DO something!

The Apostles Andrew, John and Peter would agree with you. In this week's Gospel (John 1:35-42), they don't stop to think when they meet Jesus; they volunteer to become Apostles and follow Him!

Often, grownups tell you to think before you do something because they want you to be safe. If you don't look before you cross the street, you could be hit by a car. If you don't think when you're angry, you might smack someone and get in trouble.

At times like that, it's good to think first. But other times, it isn't! When the Apostles met Jesus, they could have stopped to think about leaving their jobs and homes, and wondered if that was a good idea -- and they might have changed their minds.

One of the best parts of being a kid is having an idea and doing it. When you have a good idea, like helping someone out, you shouldn't stop to think about it -- you should just do it!

Andrew, Peter and John took that advice. They found out that Jesus was going to save the world and thought, "Let's follow Him" -- and did. They ended up being Jesus' closest friends and helping to change the world. They proved you shouldn't always stop and think!

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