We were having the best time. Then all of a sudden, just as I was about to take the last bite, I saw this huge ugly worm right where I was about to bite.
Sunday dinner at Grandpa and Grandma Myers was always a noisy, joyous time with five adults and three kids. Everyone was excited to be together; sharing stories of the previous week. As they all dug into Grandma’s meatloaf, mashed potatoes and Jell-O salad, brother Jake couldn’t wait to share his story of the HUGE fish that unfortunately got away!
“It was the biggest one I’ve ever seen.” he announced. “Even bigger than the one that Tony caught last summer! I almost had it in, when the line broke.”
“Seems like that happens to you a lot,” Wes added. “I can’t remember when you actually brought a fish in!”
All through Jake’s fish tale, Kimmy was bouncing up and down in her chair waiting for her turn to talk about her adventure. “It looks like you’re pretty anxious to tell us what you’ve been up to, Kimmy,” Mom said. “What’s been going on”?
“Oh, she probably just dressed up like a princess again.” Jake wisecracked.
“Nope!” Kimmy answered. “It’s about me and Sally.”
“Sally and I,” Mom corrected.
“Yeah, Sally and I had the best time. We were going to ride our bikes to the pool, but it was such a hot day we decided not to pedal that far. And then Sally remembered that big old apple tree by the side of the road with branches just right for climbing.”
“Isn’t that tree behind a fence?” Dad asked.
“Yeah,” Kimmy answered, “But the fence is so old and rusty any kid can climb right through it. So that’s what we decided to do. We almost changed our minds, though, when a whole bunch of boys came. They were loud and punching each other, but then they just kept moving.”
“Weren’t you scared of the boys?” Nana Ahlseen asked.
“Nah, they’re from our school. They’re always noisy. But me and Sally could’ve beat ‘em up easy!”
Jake added, “Yeah, that Sally’s tough. She knocked out Billy Green’s tooth last year.”
“That tooth was just a baby tooth and ready to fall out anyway,” Wes laughed.
“We’re getting a little off track here,” Dad said. “Let’s let Kimmy finish her story but maybe with a little less violence.”
“Anyway,” said Kimmy, “We got there, climbed through the fence, and got up the tree into the top branches. It was nice and cool up there after being hot and tired. So, we just sat there eating apples and talking about all kinds of stuff and planning what to wear on the first day back to school. The apples were bright red and juicy. We were having the best time. Then all of a sudden, just as I was about to take the last bite, I saw this huge ugly worm right where I was about to bite. Sally screamed and I threw the apple on the ground! That was so disgusting!”
“It could have been worse,” Grandpa observed. “You could have found half a worm!”
Everybody burst out laughing, except Kimmy. “I don’t get it,” she said. “Why would half a worm be worse?”
“Don’t you see, Sweetheart?” Grandma asked. “That would mean you had swallowed the other half!”
“EEEWWWW gross!” Kimmy screamed. “I’m never ever going to climb that apple tree again and I’m never ever going to eat another apple!”
Mom set a warm apple pie on the table and said, “You might want to think again about eating apples. I’ve looked carefully and I’m pretty sure there are no worms in this pie.”
Nana Ahlseen smiled. “You never really know what’s inside, do you? That reminds me of a verse I read this morning. It says that God can see inside the hearts and minds of people. I know we can have some pretty awful thoughts. The Bible says: ‘For whatever God says to us is full of living power: it is sharper than the sharpest dagger, cutting swift and deep into our innermost thoughts and desires with all their parts, exposing us for what we really are.’ (Hebrews 4:12) In other words, there are no worms, no bad things that God can’t see, even those things hidden deep inside our hearts.”
Dad said, “Why don’t we pray about that? Dear Lord, thanks so much that You can see deep inside of us, even the things we try to hide from you. Please, may the verses we learn in the Bible show us the truth, even the truths that aren’t very pleasant, so that we can daily get right with You.”
Mom placed a big slice of pie covered with vanilla ice cream at Kimmy’s place.
“Mmmmmmm, there are no worms in this apple pie and there aren’t any worms in the ice cream either,” said Kimmy as apple and ice cream dribbled down her chin.
And all the family said, “Amen!”
QUESTIONS:
- What was inside the apple?
- What can God see inside of our minds and hearts?
- What are some things that people try to keep hidden?
- How can we have forgiven the bad things we try to hide?
Challenge: spend some quiet time with God, asking forgiveness for those things we have tried to hide from Him.
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