It’s Great to Be a Kid!

Being a kid is awesome! You don’t have to worry about doing “grown-up” things like paying bills or finding a job. You get to play with your friends, do fun things in school, play sports, and hang out with your family. What is one of your favorite things about being a kid? Write your answer below.

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God loves kids. Did you know he has a wonderful plan and purpose for your life right now? You don’t have to wait until you’re an adult for God to use you in amazing ways. The Bible tells lots of stories of God working through kids just like you. Here are just a few of them.
“Samuel!”

Ever wonder what God’s voice sounds like? Many times throughout the Bible, God spoke to men and women—and kids too! One of those kids was a boy named Samuel.

When Samuel was a very young child, his mother, Hannah, took him to God’s temple to live and work with a priest named Eli. One night as Samuel was sleeping he heard someone calling his name. At first he thought it was Eli, but it was really the voice of God! God told Samuel that he would do powerful things for the people of Israel.

How about you? You may not hear God’s real voice, but he is always speaking to us. Are you listening? How does God speak to you?

Make a Listening Journal
Try this! Decorate a special journal with markers, construction paper, or whatever you like. Use this “listening journal” to write your prayers, thoughts, and drawings to God. Before you go to bed tonight, read the story of Samuel in your Bible. You’ll find it in 1 Samuel 3:1-21. Play some worship music if you like. During your quiet time with God, write down anything you hear him saying to you in your heart.

The Widow’s Sons
Like most kids, you’ve probably helped an adult with a really big project at your house. Maybe you’ve helped clean the garage, pull weeds in the yard, or sort through old clothing.

Two young boys in the Bible helped their mom with a very interesting project—collecting jars! You can read all about it in 2 Kings 4:1-7. A poor woman whose husband had died owed a lot of money to someone. Since she did not have the money to pay the person back, her sons were in danger of being sold as slaves. So the widow went to the prophet Elisha to ask for help.

Elisha told the woman to have the boys help her collect empty jars from their neighbors—as many jars as they could find. Elisha then told her to pour the little bit of oil she had left in her cupboard into the jars. And here’s the amazing part: God allowed the oil to keep flowing until all the jars were filled! The widow was able to sell all those jars of oil to pay her debt. What a miracle!

The Jar Project
You can help someone in need with a “Jar Project” of your own. Find an empty jar in your house and rinse it out. Ask your family, friends, neighbors, or church members to add loose change or dollars to the jar. When the jar is filled, use the money to buy food for a needy family. Or send the money to a mission organization that helps children in need. Who knew that you could use a simple jar for such a good purpose!

King Joash
If you’re around 7 years old, your most important “job” might be your schoolwork. But God used another kid in the Bible to do something really huge: to be the king of Judah! Joash was only 7 years old when he became king. The Bible says that King Joash grew up and commanded the people in Jerusalem to collect money to repair the temple of the Lord.

Operation Fix-it
Even though I’m guessing you’re not the king or queen of your city, you can be a leader in your home, school, or church community. Find an area in your house, school, or church that needs to be cleaned up or fixed up. Maybe a fence in your neighborhood needs to be painted or your school custodian can use some help picking up trash on the playground. Rally your friends and family to help you with your “Fix-it” project. Then go ahead and make a difference in your community!

More Kids in the Bible
There are so many other great stories of kids in the Bible—check them out!

• Jesus in the temple courts (Luke 2:41-52)
• A boy shares his lunch (John 6:1-15)
• Jesus raises a girl from the dead (Luke 8:49-56)
• Jesus raises a widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:11-17)

Find Out Your Own Family’s Kid Stories
Ask your parents or grandparents this question: What is one of your favorite childhood memories?

Maybe you can even record your conversation. Later on you can play it back and think about the differences between being a kid when they were kids and being a kid today. Or write their story down and share it with them later.