Susan was being impossible.  All week she had been nasty to her brother and sister.  Just this morning her little sister had annoyed her, so she flipped some cornflakes into her face and laughed when she cried.

"Susan!" exclaimed her mother in a shocked voice, "That's not the way a Christian girl behaves.  You heard on Sunday that Pastor said we are like lamps for Jesus, and we need to shine for Him!"  Susan looked unhappy - but only for a moment!  She glared at her sister as she climbed into her Mom's car and slammed the door.

On the way to school she stuck out her tongue at children walking along the pavement.  Only losers walked to school!  Later, while her teacher was trying to explain a science project on the board, she got her friends to pull horrible faces behind Michael's back, when he eagerly raised his hand each time their teacher asked a question.

Susan's lamp was losing it's light, but she didn't care.

At break she met her "cool" friends in the hall and they decided it would be fun to shoot paper balls at the boys.  Susan pointed at Michael and all the girls nodded.  They were jealous of him, because he always did his homework and got the best marks in the class.  Susan also hated him because he was a good Christian and treated everyone kindly.  And so during English, the girls took turns to shoot paper spit balls at him.

Susan laughed to herself when she hit him on the cheek and he yelled, "Ouch!"  It was even better when the teacher shouted at him.   However, this didn't last long, because the teacher eventually asked why he kept making noises.  He turned round and pointed at the girls behind him and said, "They did it!"

The teacher got mad when she saw all the paper balls lying all over the floor.  She shouted at Susan and her friends, and made them pick up every scrap of paper, before sending them to the office to be punished for their bad behaviour.

It was late when she crept in the front door after detention.  Her mother pounced on her and Susan had to tell her about the paper spit balls.  Mom was furious and shouted, "Straight to bed!  And no supper!"

Susan's lamp was starting to glow rather dim.

She was so angry the next day, that she and her friends decided to teach Michael a lesson he would never forget.  After school they waited at the top of the entrance steps.  Susan whispered, "You all push Michael and I'll trip him over my leg.  It will serve Mommies little boy right if he falls and scrapes his leg."

Just then Michael came out of the door and the girls gave him a huge shove as Susan stuck out her leg and tripped him.  They cheered as he fell down the steep steps and lay in a heap at the bottom.  But, their joy turned to fear when Michael didn't jump up and shout at them.

Michael lay still and her friend said, "Susan, now you've done it!   You've killed him!"  Susan shook her head in desperation.   "Quick - let's hide!" shouted one girl as a teacher came running to where Michael lay.

Susan's lamp was starting flicker as if it wanted to go out.

The girls hid behind some nearby bushes.  Susan shivered when one of her friends whispered, "Now they'll send you to prison, Susan.  It was your idea and it's all your fault!"  One by one her friends stole away leaving Susan watch the paramedics load Michael onto a stretcher and then the ambulance tore away with its siren blaring.

Susan went home with a heavy heart.  When she reached home, she told her mother she was feeling sick and went to bed without any supper.  That night she tossed and turned as she thought of Michael laying still and dead in the mortuary.  The police would drag her off to a magistrate and then throw her in jail.  She imagined how she would stay in jail and come out an old, old woman.

Her lamp was nearly out and only a tiny spark remained.

A pale Susan crept into class next morning.  Her heart beat fast when her teacher called her to the front.  "You were really unkind yesterday," she began, "Michael could have been seriously hurt!   Fortunately he was just knocked out."  At that moment the classroom door flew open and in came a grinning Michael.

Susan flew to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and wept, "I'm so sorry, Michael!  I was horrible, and I couldn't bear to go to jail and grow old for hurting you!"  Michael patted her head and said, "I forgive you, Susan.  You did wrong but I hope we can now be friends."

Susan looked at Michael with a shining light in her eyes.  "Oh, yes please, Michael!" said Susan, "I will never say bad things or try to hurt anybody again!"

That night she knelt by her bed and asked Jesus to make her heart clean and to help her be kind and caring with everyone she came in contact with.  Jesus answered her prayer and she took care in the future to always treat people kindly, and to try and please Jesus in everything she did.

Her lamp suddenly grew bright and shone out again!

What caused Susan's lamp to nearly go out? (Let the children respond).  What about your light?  Is it shining brightly?  And does the way you talk and behave show that Jesus really lives in your heart?  I hope so!

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus told us to do something very important every day, and at every opportunity:

"Let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven."

I hope you will obey Jesus and always treat other people kindly, with care and respect.  If you do, then your light will also shine out brightly!

God bless.