Read: Isaiah 9:6-7; 53:5-6

Lexie dangled her feet off the bunk bed as her sister got ready for their Christmas program rehearsal. “I’m going to mark my script so I don’t miss any of my lines,” Lexie said. She stuck her pen in her princess purse.

“Girls! We need to be at church soon!” Mom stuck her head in the door. “What? You’re not even dressed? We should have left already!”

Anna poked her head out of the closet. “But I can’t find my shoes.”

“Forget your shoes! Just come on!”

Mom rushed away to check on the twins. By the time everyone was loaded in the van, Mom was downright angry. “This happens every time we need to go somewhere!” she said. “I’m so sick of being late!”

As Mom was about to shut the van door, Anna gasped. “I forgot my shoes!”

Mom let out an exasperated groan. “Get your shoes now! And if you’re not back in one minute, I’m leaving!”

Five minutes later, Anna climbed into the van, shoes in hand. Mom fussed as they pulled onto the street.

“Anna, how could you possibly forget your shoes on a day this cold? And Lexie, that is the last time I want to see you lollygagging when you should be getting ready!”

Just then the radio began to play a song that the twins had been singing all week. Their three-year-old voices quickly chimed in with the music. “For unto us a child is bo-own…unto us a Son is gibben…”

Mom stopped yelling. Then she let out a big sigh. “I’m sorry, girls,” she said. “I’ve been so focused on blaming you for making us late that I forgot why we’re going to rehearse for the Christmas program in the first place—to tell others about Jesus. The truth is, I wasn’t ready on time either, but I didn’t want to admit that, so I made you feel bad about it instead. Will you forgive me?”

Anna and Lexie looked at each other. “Forgive you?” Lexie asked.

Mom nodded. “Sometimes parents make mistakes too. Jesus is still working to make me more like Him, just like He is with you.”

Anna smiled. “Yes, Mom,” she said. “We forgive you!”

–Rebekah Dorris

How about you? Have you ever heard your parents say things they later regret? Just like you, parents make mistakes. The good news is that Jesus is still working on all of us, so remember that when your parents fall short. Remember that Jesus has forgiven you, and He wants you to show His love to others by forgiving them—including parents!

Today's Key Verse: And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Forgive your parents