Trusting and deciding

You want to play outside after dark, and your parents won't let you. "But all my friends do it!" you tell your mother.

"If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do that, too?" she answers.

It's hard when you think you can do something, but your parents say you can't. You trust that you'll be safe after dark because your friends have been safe, but your mother doesn't believe that. This week's Gospel (Mark 1:12-15) is about trust, too: Jesus' trust that God the Father was always taking care of Him.

After He was baptized, Jesus went out into the desert for 40 days. Wild animals were there, but angels came and helped Him. After that, Jesus went to the town of Galilee, telling the people there, "The kingdom of God is near. Come back to God."

Sometimes, trusting your friends makes you do dangerous or scary things. Just because someone else's mother lets him stay out at night doesn't mean it's safe. You have to know who to trust: the friend who just wants to play, no matter how late it is; or your parents, whose job is to keep you safe.

Jesus had to decide who to trust, too. In the Gospel story, He was just about to start teaching people about God. He must have been scared! If He trusted His friends, He probably would have stayed home and hung around with them, instead of doing the job He came for. But if He trusted His Father, He would have to go into the desert, where wild animals could hurt Him, and then teach people who didn't want to listen about God!

Even when you get angry with your parents for not letting you go out at night, you know they're just trying to take care of you until you're old enough to decide for yourself. In the Gospel, Jesus had someone to help Him make decisions, too: God the Father. God kept Jesus safe from animals, sent angels to help, and always listened when He prayed.

So whenever you're grumpy about your parents' saying "no," remember Jesus! He was the Son of God, and He still trusted someone else to help Him decide what to do!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, teach me to ask what YOU would do when I feel mad about what my parents tell me to do! Amen.

(02-13-97)

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