Nobody like Sly-One. We will call him "Sly" for after all
he was a rat and who likes rats? He always told lies and
he would steal anything you had in a flash! Sly would
slink around just looking for something to steal. He was
clever and cunning and knew just how to trick you into thinking
he was good and honest.
One day Sly was in the garden and saw that the door to the playhouse
had been left open. Jane had been playing with her dolls and
with a plate of colourful artificial fruit. Sly looked around
and saw that all the other rats and mice were busy searching for food
in the orchard. "Now's my chance," squeaked Sly, "I can steal
all this fruit before anyone sees me!"
He quickly picked up and apple in his big mouth and scurried off to
his den. Back and forth he went until the plate was empty
and all the artificial fruit was hidden deep in the earth.
That evening as the rats and mice went past to go to their nests,
Sly laughed at them. "Suckers!" he thought, "They'll never
have enough food for winter unlike clever old me!
Winter came and it was freezing cold. Sly's mouth watered as he
thought about all that lovely fruit! What a shock he had when
he tried to eat the apple. Poor Sly nearly broke his teeth as
he took a huge bite. All the animals came running when they
heard Sly scream, "Now I'm going to die - I've got nothing to
eat for winter! The animals put their heads together, "What
could they do to help Sly?"
Everybody rushed back to their nests and brought back some food for Sly.
He could not believe his whiskers at their kindness. He
stammered his thanks, and you know what? Yes, that sly old rat
changed and learnt to love others. He was no longer greedy and
stole no more. Everybody was pleased with him and changed his
name to "Kind-One".
I hope boys and girls that you will not be foolish like Sly-One.
Let Jesus live inside you, because He wants to make you kind.
Jesus wants us to "Love one another". Let's say that verse together
again, "Love one another". If you love each other, then you
will be able to play happily with other children and your brothers
and sisters.
God bless!