Try taking a turn

Jesus, help me take turns, even when I don't want to. Amen!

"A poor man named Lazarus used to sit by a rich man's door, hoping for table scraps to eat," Jesus said. "The rich man never gave him anything. Then both men died, but only Lazarus went to heaven. The rich man begged God, 'Send Lazarus to help me!' But God said, 'You had good things while you were alive, and Lazarus didn't. Now, he can have them, and you can't!'"

Taking turns can really bother a kid. Just when you're really getting into a game, toy or TV show, your brother or a friend comes along and wants to play or change the channel -- and the adults say, "Give him a turn."

Unfortunately, parents aren't the only ones who believe in taking turns: Jesus did, too! In this week's Gospel (Luke 16:19-31), He tells a story about it.

The reason most kids don't like giving up the Xbox, Playstation or remote controls is that you're enjoying yourself. That was definitely true for the rich man in Jesus' story. He had big meals with lots of food, and didn't want to give any to Lazarus. In a way, he wasn't giving Lazarus a turn at eating!

If you don't take turns, you know what will happen: Not only will you get in trouble, but your brother or friend will probably get a longer turn than he would have if you'd just let him play in the first place. And of course, you know that taking turns is the right thing to do.

The rich man learned that in a really painful way: When Lazarus went to heaven, the rich man didn't. Now it was Lazarus' turn to enjoy himself, while the rich man could only wish he'd given him a turn a long time ago!