Piece of cake
Sydney and her brother Max were at the grocery store with their mother. They were
having a family dinner that night and needed to buy ingredients to make potato soup.
Max, who was twelve, pushed the cart while his mother grabbed what she needed from
the shelves. Sydney sat in the back of the cart and watched as they passed rows and rows
of brightly colored boxes and cans. She wanted something sweet and asked her mother if she could have a treat. Her mother said no, it would spoil her dinner. The cart was beginning to fill up. Sydney climbed out and walked alongside her brother. She asked Max if she could push the cart for a while. Max said no. When her mother came back to the cart, she asked Sydney to go a few rows over to the cooler and grab some cream. Sydney found the cream. It was sitting next to a carton of chocolate milk. Sydney loved chocolate milk. She looked around. Her brother would sometimes drink milk out of the carton at home. Their mother scolded him, but he never got into that much trouble. If she took the milk into the bathroom and took a few drinks than nobody would know. It wouldn’t be stealing if she didn’t drink the whole thing. When she was sure nobody was looking, she grabbed the milk and slipped it into her coat pocket. She grabbed the cream and headed to the deli to find her mother and brother.
Max had is head cocked back and was holding a wad of paper towels against his nose.
He had a nosebleed. Sydney asked her mother if she could go to the bathroom. Her mother parked the cart against the meat counter and told Sydney she had to wait until they got home…she didn’t want Max bleeding all over the place. Sydney thought about the chocolate milk in her pocket. She couldn’t pull it out in front of everybody. Just then, her mother grabbed her hand and they headed towards the exit. By the time they reached the car, Max’s nose had stopped bleeding. Sydney sat in the back and looked out the window. She could feel the cold milk against her side.
When they got home, Sydney ran up to her room. She locked the door and slowly walked over to her bed. She took off her coat, and pulled the carton of milk out of the pocket.
It wasn’t as cold now. She sat the milk on her nightstand. She was a thief. She lay back on the bed and began to cry. She felt so bad.
That night at dinner, Sydney barely ate. Her mother asked Max to go into the kitchen and grab the chocolate cake she had made for dessert. Sydney’s stomach felt funny. She asked
if she could go up to her room, she wasn’t feeling well. Sydney ran up to her room and closed the door. She fell onto her bed and sobbed. She disobeyed her mother and committed a crime. She wondered if kids went to jail for stealing. There was a knock at her door. Sydney grabbed the milk off her nightstand and hid it under her pillow. She wiped the tears from her eyes as her mother opened the door. She had brought Sydney a piece of chocolate cake. Sydney began to cry. Her mother sat the cake on the dresser and sat on the bed next to
Sydney. She laid her hand on Sydney’s head and asked her why she was upset. Sydney slowly reached behind the pillow and placed the carton of milk on the bed.
“I took this from the store today.”
Her mother sighed. She picked up the carton and looked it over.
“Why did you take this?”
“Cause I wanted something sweet.”Sydney sniffled.
“You realize it is a sin to steal.” Her mother said.
Sydney nodded her head. She was ashamed.
“I feel so bad and I am sorry I did it.”
Her mother got up from the bed and grabbed her purple Bible off the dresser.
“I’m going to read you something my mother read to me when I was your age.”
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Her mother explained to Sydney if she would pray to Jesus and confess that what she did
was sin, then ask Him to forgive her for disobeying and stealing the milk, He would forgive her. Sydney bowed her head and asked Jesus to forgive her for disobeying her mother and
stealing the chocolate milk. When she finished praying she wrapped her arms around her mother and told her, she loved her.
When Sydney’s mother left the room, she got out her birthday money, the money she had been saving for her new doll and put it in her jacket pocket; she just knew in her heart she needed to pay for the chocolate milk she had stolen.
The next morning, Sydney and her mother returned to the grocery store. Sydney placed the carton of milk on the counter and apologized to the clerk for taking the milk, and told him, how sorry she was and what she had done to make it right in her life. She than gave him the money she had taken out of her piggy bank to pay for what she had taken. Just then, the store manager came over and the clerk explained all that had happened. The manager
whispered in the clerk’s ear and the clerk went to the back. The manager took Sydney’s money and put it in the cash register, and told her he hoped this was a lesson she would never need to learn again. Then the manager handed her mother a bag. I suggest you open this at home. When Sydney got home, her mother went into the kitchen, while Sydney went to put something’s away. Her mother called for her to join her in the kitchen. When Sydney walked in, she saw a tall glass of chocolate milk and a piece of her mother’s wonderful chocolate cake. Sydney looked puzzled, she knew, she would not get a reward for stealing and disobeying. So what could this be for?
Her mother put her arms around Sydney and told her that God doesn’t reward us for doing bad, but He does give us blessings when we do righteously.
“I am very proud of you; I believe you learned a great lesson through this. You see Sydney, God allows us to see things inside ourselves that we need to learn how to control, like stealing and disobeying; today you learned that you could be a thief if you let yourself, and that bad things happen when we disobey. You also learned how important it is to confess your sins and be willing to accept the consequences for what you have done. Because of that, you got a reward, not for the bad you did, but for the good you became.” Her mother said.
The Moral of the story…Unleashed:
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We don’t have to let sin control and destroy us, Jesus died to forgive us from our sins,
and if we confess to him our sins, he will forgive us of our sins.
having a family dinner that night and needed to buy ingredients to make potato soup.
Max, who was twelve, pushed the cart while his mother grabbed what she needed from
the shelves. Sydney sat in the back of the cart and watched as they passed rows and rows
of brightly colored boxes and cans. She wanted something sweet and asked her mother if she could have a treat. Her mother said no, it would spoil her dinner. The cart was beginning to fill up. Sydney climbed out and walked alongside her brother. She asked Max if she could push the cart for a while. Max said no. When her mother came back to the cart, she asked Sydney to go a few rows over to the cooler and grab some cream. Sydney found the cream. It was sitting next to a carton of chocolate milk. Sydney loved chocolate milk. She looked around. Her brother would sometimes drink milk out of the carton at home. Their mother scolded him, but he never got into that much trouble. If she took the milk into the bathroom and took a few drinks than nobody would know. It wouldn’t be stealing if she didn’t drink the whole thing. When she was sure nobody was looking, she grabbed the milk and slipped it into her coat pocket. She grabbed the cream and headed to the deli to find her mother and brother.
Max had is head cocked back and was holding a wad of paper towels against his nose.
He had a nosebleed. Sydney asked her mother if she could go to the bathroom. Her mother parked the cart against the meat counter and told Sydney she had to wait until they got home…she didn’t want Max bleeding all over the place. Sydney thought about the chocolate milk in her pocket. She couldn’t pull it out in front of everybody. Just then, her mother grabbed her hand and they headed towards the exit. By the time they reached the car, Max’s nose had stopped bleeding. Sydney sat in the back and looked out the window. She could feel the cold milk against her side.
When they got home, Sydney ran up to her room. She locked the door and slowly walked over to her bed. She took off her coat, and pulled the carton of milk out of the pocket.
It wasn’t as cold now. She sat the milk on her nightstand. She was a thief. She lay back on the bed and began to cry. She felt so bad.
That night at dinner, Sydney barely ate. Her mother asked Max to go into the kitchen and grab the chocolate cake she had made for dessert. Sydney’s stomach felt funny. She asked
if she could go up to her room, she wasn’t feeling well. Sydney ran up to her room and closed the door. She fell onto her bed and sobbed. She disobeyed her mother and committed a crime. She wondered if kids went to jail for stealing. There was a knock at her door. Sydney grabbed the milk off her nightstand and hid it under her pillow. She wiped the tears from her eyes as her mother opened the door. She had brought Sydney a piece of chocolate cake. Sydney began to cry. Her mother sat the cake on the dresser and sat on the bed next to
Sydney. She laid her hand on Sydney’s head and asked her why she was upset. Sydney slowly reached behind the pillow and placed the carton of milk on the bed.
“I took this from the store today.”
Her mother sighed. She picked up the carton and looked it over.
“Why did you take this?”
“Cause I wanted something sweet.”Sydney sniffled.
“You realize it is a sin to steal.” Her mother said.
Sydney nodded her head. She was ashamed.
“I feel so bad and I am sorry I did it.”
Her mother got up from the bed and grabbed her purple Bible off the dresser.
“I’m going to read you something my mother read to me when I was your age.”
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Her mother explained to Sydney if she would pray to Jesus and confess that what she did
was sin, then ask Him to forgive her for disobeying and stealing the milk, He would forgive her. Sydney bowed her head and asked Jesus to forgive her for disobeying her mother and
stealing the chocolate milk. When she finished praying she wrapped her arms around her mother and told her, she loved her.
When Sydney’s mother left the room, she got out her birthday money, the money she had been saving for her new doll and put it in her jacket pocket; she just knew in her heart she needed to pay for the chocolate milk she had stolen.
The next morning, Sydney and her mother returned to the grocery store. Sydney placed the carton of milk on the counter and apologized to the clerk for taking the milk, and told him, how sorry she was and what she had done to make it right in her life. She than gave him the money she had taken out of her piggy bank to pay for what she had taken. Just then, the store manager came over and the clerk explained all that had happened. The manager
whispered in the clerk’s ear and the clerk went to the back. The manager took Sydney’s money and put it in the cash register, and told her he hoped this was a lesson she would never need to learn again. Then the manager handed her mother a bag. I suggest you open this at home. When Sydney got home, her mother went into the kitchen, while Sydney went to put something’s away. Her mother called for her to join her in the kitchen. When Sydney walked in, she saw a tall glass of chocolate milk and a piece of her mother’s wonderful chocolate cake. Sydney looked puzzled, she knew, she would not get a reward for stealing and disobeying. So what could this be for?
Her mother put her arms around Sydney and told her that God doesn’t reward us for doing bad, but He does give us blessings when we do righteously.
“I am very proud of you; I believe you learned a great lesson through this. You see Sydney, God allows us to see things inside ourselves that we need to learn how to control, like stealing and disobeying; today you learned that you could be a thief if you let yourself, and that bad things happen when we disobey. You also learned how important it is to confess your sins and be willing to accept the consequences for what you have done. Because of that, you got a reward, not for the bad you did, but for the good you became.” Her mother said.
The Moral of the story…Unleashed:
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We don’t have to let sin control and destroy us, Jesus died to forgive us from our sins,
and if we confess to him our sins, he will forgive us of our sins.