Play Tryouts, Hearts, and a Tin Man, Oh My!

Read: Luke 6:43-45

Willow slammed the door and threw herself onto her bed sobbing. It wasn’t fair! She had practiced just as hard as Lailani did for the play tryouts at school. While her best friend was chosen for the lead part as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Willow was just one of the many Munchkins in Munchkinland who might get to sing about lollipops.

Knocking softly on the door, Mom came in and sat down beside Willow. “Your brother told me what happened.” She leaned over and gave Willow a hug. “You know, I think my favorite character in The Wizard of Oz was the Tin Man.”

Willow sniffed. “Why?”

“Well, he wanted a heart so he could feel things. Can you imagine living life without feeling things?”

Willow shook her head. “But my heart doesn’t know how to feel right now.”

“That’s why we need to keep close watch over our hearts,” Mom said. “There’s a Bible verse that talks about guarding your heart above all else because every single thing you do flows from it.”

“What do you mean?” Willow asked, sitting up and wiping the rest of her tears away.

“Your words and actions show what’s really in your heart,” Mom explained. “We all experience difficult feelings in life, but we need to make sure they don’t take control of our hearts and make us act in ways that are wrong. That’s what it means to guard our hearts.”

“So what should I do about the play tryouts and Lailani?” Willow asked.

“Pray,” Mom said. “Jesus understands your feelings because He experienced human feelings too, but He never sinned by letting them take control. Share your feelings with Him and pray that He would help you guard your heart and know what to do next.”

Closing her eyes, Willow prayed and asked Jesus to help her guard her heart and treat others in a loving way even though she felt sad and upset. Then she had an idea. “Can I invite some friends over to watch the Wizard of Oz movie so I can get a head start on being the best Munchkin I can be?”

“Lailani too?” Mom asked.

Willow smiled and nodded. “Lailani too.”

–Kelly Hope

How about you? Have you ever felt sad or upset by something? Maybe you worked hard for something but it didn’t turn out the way you wanted, or someone said or did something that hurt your feelings. It’s okay to feel bad about those things, but don’t let your feelings take control of your heart and determine how you treat others. Jesus understands how you feel, and He will help you guard your heart so His love can flow from it into your words and actions.

Today's Key Verse: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (NIV) Proverbs 4:23

Today's Key Thought: Guard your heart