Part of Something Big

Hallie squirmed in her seat.  "It's so hard to wait," she whispered to her friend Larissa, who grinned back in understanding.  Finally, Mrs. Lewis started the announcements.

"For the church Christmas play we need thirteen actors," Mrs. Lewis began.  

"Oooh," Hallie almost giggled in anticipation.

"The part of the lead character, Hannah Scott, goes to Hallie Stevenson, while the part of Jimmy Peters goes to..."

That was all Hallie heard.  "I got the part!" she whispered excitedly to Larissa.  

"Congratulations!" Larissa shared her excitement.

Hallie slowed down.  "I wish you could be in the play, too," she told Larissa.  

"Me? Acting?  No, thank you!  No stages for me," Larissa insisted.

~~~~

"And, Mom, my part has almost twice as many lines as the next biggest part," Hallie bragged to her mother later that evening.  "Mrs. Lewis said that I would be perfect for the part since I can memorize so easily."

"Now, Hallie," Mrs. Stevenson reminded her daughter, "it's important to be humble when you are given an opportunity like this."

"But I don't understand, Mom - Mrs. Lewis did say that I did a great job on my audition," Hallie protested.

"Oh, humility doesn't mean downplaying the job you did.  To be humble means to put your performance - and everything else - in its proper place.  This Christmas play is to tell the Gospel to some who may have never heard it before.  If you're lost in thoughts of you and what people think of you, how are you spreading His joy?"  Hallie thought about what her mother was saying.  "And, besides, honey," Mrs. Stevenson continued, "your fellow actors may not appreciate having you around when you're always thinking and talking about how good your performance is.  How do you think that makes them feel?"  Hallie nodded as she remembered sensing other actors' frustration with her attitude.  "Hallie, this play is an opportunity for you to perform for God's glory, to be a part of something bigger than you.  Don't let yourself squander this opportunity on pride.  Be humble about what you are doing, and God will bless your efforts."

~~~~

With her mother's words in mind, Hallie played her part with everything within her, and the audience loved it.  "Great job, Hallie," one of the other actresses complimented her.

"You did great, too, Megan!" Hallie responded.

"That was wonderful, Hallie!" Mrs. Lewis hurried to praise the star actress.  "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Lewis - I enjoyed being a part of God's work."

~~~~

"Good job, honey!" Mrs. Stevenson hugged Hallie when she joined her family later.

"You were right, Mom," Hallie said.  "Once I stopped thinking so much about myself, it seemed to be a lot more fun for everyone.  I even have a couple new friends!"

"That's great," Mrs. Stevenson smiled.  "We'll always be glad we live the way God tells us to.  I'm so proud of you!"

"Not proud, Mom," Hallie grinned.  "Humble."

Only, Part Three

Read Part One Here
Read Part Two Here

"I've called three different nursing homes - I haven't found one with an Esther Powell," Mrs. Stevens told Logan and Larissa.

"Great!" Hallie interjected as she hung up the phone. "Good Shepherd Nursing Home has an Esther Powell in Room 223," she informed the others. "The receptionist said that we can visit anytime!"

"That's great, Hallie," Mrs. Stevens told her daughter. "Let's get ready to go and Larissa can ask her parents if she can come, too. But we need to remember, even though we have some of Mrs. Powell's pictures and diaries and we know quite a bit about her, she doesn't know us or anything about us. We don't know how her health is, either. Let's remember to take it slow and be understanding."

~~~

Once everyone was in the car and they started for Good Shepherd Nursing Home, Hallie opened the diary Mrs. Powell wrote when she was twelve years old and began reading. "August 3, 1929. Today I met Mrs. Anderson. She is about eighty years old. She was kind. She gave me a wooden figurine. Love, Esther." Hallie closed the book and wondered what it would have been like to be twelve years old in 1929.

"We're here!" Mrs. Stevens announced.

~~~

"Here's Room 223," Larissa whispered to Hallie.

"Go ahead, honey. We're right behind you," Mrs. Stevens assured Hallie.

Hallie knocked on the door. "Come in," they heard a feeble voice say. Slowly, Hallie opened the door.

"Mrs. Powell?" she asked.

A frail woman looked up from her reading. "Yes?" she answered.

"My name is Hallie Stevens; my family and I live in your old house. We found some things that might be yours."

Logan brought the box of mementos to Mrs. Powell. "Oh, yes," Mrs. Powell gushed excitedly. "My, these bring back memories," she smiled as she picked up some of the old photos.

For a moment no one spoke as she lovingly looked through her long-lost treasures. Finally Mrs. Stevens broke the silence. "Mrs. Powell, if it's okay with you, we would love to hear more about these," she gently suggested.

Mrs. Powell leaned back in her chair. "My husband George and I got married in 1939, right before World War II. We were married fifty-three years."

"Where did you get this?" Hallie asked, handing Mrs. Powell the wooden figurine of an open Bible.

Mrs. Powell fingered the decoration in her hands and read softly, 'Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.'" After a moment's pause she continued. "A lady named Mrs. Anderson gave this to me," she said.

"Oh," Hallie remembered. "I read about her in one of the diaries."

"Yes!" Mrs. Powell smiled at Hallie. "My parents became Christians when I was around your age, largely due to Mrs. Anderson's example and testimony. Mrs. Anderson gave this to me to remind me to spend my one short life only on things that matter."

"Did you?" Logan spoke up.

Hallie glared at Logan. "That's not very polite," she whispered.

Mrs. Powell noticed Hallie's reprimanding look. "Oh, no, I'd love to answer his question," she interrupted them. "No, young man, unfortunately I didn't. I was a Christian, but I didn't count the days."

"Count the days?" Larissa was confused.

"Yes; Psalm 90:12 says, 'So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.' All of us have a limited time on earth. When I was your age, it felt like my adult years were decades away, but once I was an adult, the years passed by all to quickly. I wish I had realized that at your age." Mrs. Powell looked at Hallie. "I wish I had followed the advice of this figurine when I was younger. Life is short - we want to live it for a purpose, and only Jesus Christ is a purpose great enough." Mrs. Powell handed the figurine back to Hallie. "Here, I want you to have this. When you see it, remember me, and remember that life is short."

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Stevens asked.

"Definitely," Mrs. Powell asserted. "I want to give it to someone who will remember - and live - its message."

"Thank you," was all Hallie could say as she felt the privilege of receiving what had been given to Mrs. Powell many years before.

~~~

That night, before bedtime, Hallie settled into her bed with her diary and opened it to a blank page. She started to write, but then paused and picked up a wooden figurine of an open open Bible. Hallie read what was written under the Bible: "Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last." Hallie set it down and began to write. "Today I met Mrs. Powell. Psalm 90:12 says..."

Only, Part Two

Read Part 1 here

"Logan, are you okay?" Hallie called out a little anxiously to her brother. Without any light, she couldn't tell what had happened.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Somehow the cat got up here with us," Logan explained. "I saw something moving behind the boxes; when it dashed out, it scratched me and caught me off guard. I accidentally hit the switch on the lamp, so the lights went out."

"All that was caused by a cat?!" Larissa questioned as Logan turned the light back on.

"Yeah - I mean - no, no," Logan caught himself. "it was a specially trained dog from the Corlat Resistance. It's called a D-8 and it's the most vicious dog man has ever known."

"That's more like it," Larissa teased.

"So, what's in the CR notebook?" Logan asked, changing the subject. "Battle plans? List of spies?"

"Sorry, Logan - it looks like a little girl's diary," Hallie answered, as she was the only one who had actually looked at the notebook so far.

"What - that's it?! It must be a decoy!" Logan decided.

"Yeah, that's it. Just a little girl's diary. But I like reading it. Here, on May 8, 1925, she wrote, 'Today I got a necklace from Aunt Pearl. I want to wear it to church tomorrow. Love, Esther.'"

"That's it? For the whole day?" Logan asked. "Girls," he scoffed.

"Logan, the notebook and the decoration might belong to the previous owners - we need to get it back to them," Hallie pointed out.

"Haven't you already lived here a long time?" Larissa asked.

"Several years..." Hallie began thoughtfully.

"...but there were still previous owners," Logan finished. "Was the previous owner named 'Esther'?" he asked.

"I can't remember," Hallie said slowly as she tried to remember. "I just remember the names Mr. and Mrs. Powell."

"Okay, let's look around up here and see if there is something else from the same girl," Logan strategically suggested.

Everyone spread out and started opening boxes. "Wow, Logan - is this you?" Larissa held up a framed baby picture. "Look at those ears!"

"Yeah," Logan grinned sheepishly. "But you should see Hallie's - she had the curliest hair in Parker county!"

"Hey, here's something," Hallie interrupted Logan and Larissa's laughter. "It's a wooden box I haven't noticed before - oh, look!" she exclaimed as she opened it. Logan and Larissa hurried over to her. "It's full of old black and white pictures, some letters, and a couple of diaries."

"Can you imagine living in such an hold house," Logan asked, for once a little distracted from his mission. Larissa giggled at the change.

"We need to show this to Mom," Hallie decided, definitely the most focused member of the trio.

~~~

"Mom, look at this!" Logan yelled. "We found a metal box in the basement and it had a diary that a little girl wrote a long time ago so we ran upstairs to see if the attic had anything else of hers and Hallie opened this box that had more diaries and some pictures and we think it might have belonged to the Powells."

"Wow," Larissa commented on Logan's explanation. "Nice delivery."

"See, Mom?" Hallie pulled out a black and white wedding picture. "On the back it says, 'October 14, 1939: Mr. George and Mrs. Esther Powell'. The Powells were the previous owners! We need to find them and give it back!"

"I see," Mrs. Stevens examined what the showed her. "I would sure want it all back."

"There's also this beautiful wooden figurine of an open Bible. Below the Bible it says, ''Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last,'" Hallie held up her favorite item from the box.

"Look at this, Hallie," Mrs. Stevens pointed out. "This birth certificate says Esther Wilson - it must be Mrs. Powell's maiden name. Did you see the birthdate?"

"No," Hallie answered curiously.

"It says May 24, 1917. That would make her ninety-three years old."

"Wow," Hallie said softly.

"Is she still alive?" Logan asked. No one answered.

To be continued...

Only, Part 1

“So, what do you wanna do?” Hallie asked her friend Larissa.

“I dunno. What do you want to do?

"We've done it all. We went swimming, played Monopoly, Scrabble, and we've watched lots of home movies."

"Hi, guys. Do you have the other walkie-talkie, Hallie?" Logan walked in on the bored friends.

"Sure do; here it is. What are you up to?"

"Oh, nuthin'. I'm just reporting on a solo mission to infiltrate enemy lines and discover the secret passageway to the classified headquarters of the Corlat Resistance. Mom's agreed to be my back-up, so she needs the other walkie-talkie in the living room."

"What?!" Larissa exclaimed.

"I think he's exploring the basement," Hallie explained.

"Don't you already know what's down there?" Larissa questioned.

Hallie glanced at her brother and grinned. "It depends on the way you look at it."

"Girls have no imagination," Logan muttered.

"Hey, can we go with you, Logan?" Hallie asked.

"What?" Larissa didn't agree.

"No, really, it'll be fun!" Hallie insisted.

"Okay, but remember: Corlat Resistance (or CR) agents are everywhere; we can never be too careful. And don't forget - we're looking for the key to the Dorex Hall Entrance."

"Got it," Hallie agreed solemnly.

"I'll never understand you guys," Larissa commented as she followed them apprehensively.

~~~

Larissa second-guessed her agreement as she quietly crawled across the cold basement floor - in the dark, of course. ("Lights?! And let the CR agents know we're coming?" Logan had said.)

"Hey, look, guys - it's a tunnel. I've never noticed it before, Hallie," Logan observed, whispering.

"It's not a tunnel," Hallie whispered back. "It just sticks back a few feet. See?"

"Oh. The CR agents must have blockaded it," Logan decided.

Larissa rolled her eyes. "Always a theory," she complained.

"Ow!" Hallie yelped.

"On guard, CR agent! You have met your match!" Logan jumped to his feet.

"What is it, Hallie?" Larissa ignored Logan as he poked among the boxes with a yardstick, looking for hiding agents.

"It's a box - a metal one. I hit it with my toe."

Persuaded that no CR agents had detected their presence, Logan returned to Hallie and Larissa. "Maybe it holds the coveted key to the Dorex Hall Entrance!" he gushed.

"Oh, pleeeeease," Larissa complained to Hallie.

"Let's open it and find out," Hallie suggested, still interested in the contents of the box. Logan held a flashlight over the box as Hallie worked open the rusty latch. "Sorry, Logan, no key. Just a notebook and a wooden decoration of some kind. It says, 'Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.'"

"Let's get this back to Alpha Force Headquarters and examine it further," Logan suggested.

"Great - will there at least be light?" Larissa asked.

~~~

As they stood at the entrance to Alpha Force Headquarters, Larissa wasn't so sure that headquarters would be an improvement.

"The attic? The attic is Elf Force Headquarters?" she couldn't help sounding disappointed.

"Alpha," Hallie corrected her. Logan mumbled something about girls.

"As a still-rising officer of the Alpha Force, I don't visit headquarters often, but Hallie's discovery will be well worth my superiors' attention," Logan informed Larissa with the air of a decorated army general. "As for me," he continued, "while my findings have often been sent in documented form, this is only my second time to visit headquarters in person."

"He helped Dad with spring-cleaning last year," Hallie explained in a hushed voice to Larissa.

"I've never really liked attics," Larissa confided hesitantly as Logan brought down the ladder. "They're dark and boring, and -"

"Boring?!" Logan was appalled at the thought. "Girls," he sighed.

Once they were in the attic, Logan made his way through boxes over to a rafter where a lamp hung and turned it on. Larissa and Hallie found a set of folding chairs and set them up for the three of them.

"Okay," Hallie thought aloud as she opened the box. "Are you coming, Logan?"

"Yeah," he said absent-mindedly, as he was obviously watching something among the boxes. Hallie and Larissa pulled out the notebook and opened it. "Aaaah! Ow!" Logan cried out. Hallie gasped as the lights went out. Larissa screamed.

To be continued...

Friendship Frustrations

“Did you hear that, Larissa?!” Hallie excitedly asked her friend as they walked to their homes after piano lessons.

“I did,” Larissa replied, but she didn’t seem to fully share her friend’s enthusiasm.

“Mrs. Ellison said I have ‘fantastic dynamics’ and…and…oh, what was the other thing?”

“Advanced sightreading” Larissa finished. “I know. You’ve already told me twice.”

“Oh, you’re just jealous,” Hallie shrugged off her friend’s frustration.

“What?!” Larissa was shocked at her friend’s accusation. “Well, you’re just a snob!” she retorted.

“A snob?! I am not! I’m just a better piano player and you know it!”

“Never mind, Hallie, I’m going home. I don’t want to be friends with a snob.”

“Fine! Bye!” Hallie stormed home in a fury.

At home, Hallie moped in her room as she mentally justified her actions and words with Larissa. Even Mrs. Ellison recognized my talented playing. If Larissa were a good friend, she’d compliment me instead of being jealous, she told herself. I’m not a snob! I was only repeating what other people said. Just then, Hallie’s brother Logan appeared at her door. “Dad says it’s time for family devotions,” he said. “Coming,” Hallie sulked.

“Okay, everyone. Tonight’s reading is in Luke 22. Who can get there first?” Hallie’s dad challenged as Hallie sat down on the couch. Hallie didn’t feel like competing, so Logan beat her easily. “Okay, Logan, you win. You can read first,” Hallie’s dad praised Logan. As Logan read, Hallie’s mind drifted back to her argument with Larissa. Then her dad’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Your turn, Hallie. Logan stopped after verse 23.” Hallie began reading.

“Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves”’ (Luke 22:24-27).

“What do you guys think of the passage?” Hallie’s dad asked his family.

“I think it was silly for the disciples to argue about who was better,” Hallie’s mom said.

“Yeah. They were with Jesus – and He’s greater than everyone!” Logan added.

“That’s right,” Hallie’s dad smiled. “Think of all they could have been learning and how they could’ve been helping each other – and instead they were pridefully arguing about who was the best!” Hallie re-read v. 24 to herself: “Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.” Sounds familiar, she thought.

After family devotions, Hallie was again in her room, pondering her argument with Larissa. This time, though, her thoughts were different. Recognition isn’t that important…True friends put each other before themselves, and I wasn’t doing that…

It seemed to Hallie that her resolve was leaving her as she walked to Larissa’s house. With trembling hands she rang the doorbell. She had never been this nervous in her life – not even at a piano recital. What if she’s still mad at me? Hallie wondered. What if we’re never friends again? Her worries were cut short as she heard someone come to the door. It was Larissa. “Hello – oh. Hi, Hallie,” Larissa said quietly.

“Hi, Larissa. Do you have a minute?”

“Sure,” Larissa shrugged as she stepped outside.

Hallie took a deep breath. “I came to apologize,” she said. Larissa looked up. “True friends should put each other before themselves because God wants us to be humble servants, like Jesus was when He washed the disciples’ feet. I was putting myself first. I’m sorry, Larissa, for not being a good friend to you. Will you forgive me?”

Larissa dropped her gloomy countenance and grinned. “Of course I’ll forgive you. I wasn’t being a good friend, either. I’m sorry. I guess I was jealous – you do play the piano better than I do.”

Hallie smiled at Larissa. “Wanna come to my house?” she offered to Larissa.

“Sure,” Larissa replied. "Let's practice our duet."

As Hallie got in bed that night, she thought about her day. Larissa was a good friend – they had had so many good times together. Hallie felt foolish for ever having argued with Larissa. She was so glad she had swallowed her pride and asked for forgiveness. We have many more good times to look forward to, she smiled to herself.

Always Rewarded

“Not fair, Hallie!” Larissa shouted. Hallie laughed as she ran to the base. “Fell for the old ‘Look at that airplane trick,’ didn’t you?!” Hallie teased her friend. Laughing, Larissa caught up to Hallie. “Okay, you win - again,” she admitted. “Let’s go to the neighborhood park,” Larissa suggested. “I’m tired of this game.” “Only because you haven’t won,” Hallie teased. “Yeah, I’ll get you one of these days!” Hallie and Larissa laughed together as they walked to the park. “Uh-oh,” Larissa said quietly. “Don’t look now, but here comes Tyler and his friends.” Tyler was an older boy in their neighborhood who enjoyed picking on younger kids. Hallie and Larissa looked down, hoping Tyler would leave them alone. “Phew, that was close,” Hallie said. “Yeah,” Larissa agreed.

The next day, Hallie and Larissa were in Sunday School, listening to Mr. Fowler. “So,” he began. “Can anyone tell me what compassion is?” After a pause, someone suggested, “Feeling sorry for someone?” “That’s a good suggestion, but keep thinking,” Mr. Fowler encouraged. “Is it pity?” someone else asked. “That’s what a lot of people think compassion is,” Mr. Fowler said. “But compassion is more than ‘pity’ or ‘feeling sorry’ for someone. Compassion is more than a feeling. Amy Carmichael was missionary to India in the early 1900s. During that time, there was a practice in India of selling young girls to the local Hindu temples as, basically, slaves. Now, if Amy Carmichael had just felt sorry for them or pitied them, not much may have come of it. But instead, she rescued many girls from the temples and raised them as her own, giving them a knowledge of Christ and the things of God instead of allowing them to be mistreated by the temple workers. Compassion is choosing to act when you see someone hurting. It can be scary sometimes, because it might call you to stand up to an injustice, to stand up to someone who is mean to others. But God always rewards our obedience, and He will take care of us when we are afraid.”

Later that day, Hallie and Larissa were going to the neighborhood park again. “How would you like to live in India?” Larissa asked. “All those strange foods, those hot summer temperatures...” “I think I like America just fine,” Hallie said. “But I’m sure it would be neat to go to another country and-” “Look, Hallie,” Larissa interrupted me. “It’s Tyler and a couple of his friends - and they’re picking on a little boy.” As they got closer, Hallie and Larissa could hear what Tyler was saying. “I’m gonna play on this basketball court, okay? You can just go play on the baby swings. You’re too little to play with us,” he said, sneering at the smaller kid. “But there are two basketball courts,” the boy protested. “You can play on that one, and I’ll play on this one.” Suddenly, Tyler stepped forward and shoved the boy. “Don’t tell me what to do!” he said. “I told you to go play somewhere else.” Hallie remembered Amy Carmichael, and Mr. Fowler’s words. “Compassion is choosing to act when you see someone hurting. It can be scary sometimes, because it might call you to stand up to an injustice, to stand up to someone who is mean to others. But God always rewards our obedience, and He will take care of us when we are afraid.” Hallie closed her eyes and prayed. Please God, let Tyler just leave. I don’t want to speak up. She opened her eyes. Tyler was still towering over the little boy. “I just want to play basketball,” the boy said. “I’ll leave you guys alone.” This time Tyler looked really angry. He shoved the boy so hard he fell down. “I’ll tell you -” he was interrupted. “Stop it, Tyler!” Hallie shouted as she emerged from their hiding place. “Hallie, what are you -wait-stop!” Larissa couldn’t believe what Hallie was doing. “Leave him alone - he’s not hurting you,” Hallie was standing in front of Tyler now, in between him and the boy lying on the ground. “And what makes you the boss of me,” he asked menacingly. For the first time, Hallie second-guessed herself - what was she doing standing in front of the bully? Quickly, she prayed again: Please help me, Lord. “I’m not your boss,” she told Tyler. “But I am his friend,” she said. “And you can’t just go bossing him around.” Slowly, Tyler backed up from Hallie. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll do it your way. But if he so much as touches our court, he’ll regret it.” Amazed, Hallie watched Tyler and his friends get back on their bikes and leave. “We’ll come back later, guys,” Tyler told his friends. “Wow,” Larissa said quietly. Hallie hadn’t realized that Larissa was standing right next to her while she was talking to Tyler. She smiled at Larissa. “I prayed that God would help me and He did,” she said. “I was praying, too, Hallie Carmichael,” Larissa smiled at her friend as she teased her. Hallie turned around to see the boy had stood up.

“Are you okay?” she asked him. “Yeah, he said. “Thanks.” “No problem,” Hallie answered. “But, why did you say you’re my friend?” he asked. “I’ve never even seen you before.” “Well,” Hallie wondered how she would explain it to him. “God calls me to be a friend to those who need one REFERENCE. It looked like you could use one.” “Yeah, I could,” he agree. “My name’s Hallie,” Hallie extended her hand to him. “And this is my friend Larissa. What’s your name?” “Kyle,” he said as he shook your hand. “I just moved here last week. At my old school, I was on the basketball team, so I was glad there is a court nearby to practice on. Maybe I can get on the team at my new school.” “I hope you do,” Hallie said.

Later that day, as Hallie was getting ready for bed, she thought about her day. Wow. I didn’t know that compassion could be so scary. But thank you, God, for helping me. Mr. Fowler was right. God always rewards our obedience. She thought of Kyle’s relief at being able to practice on the basketball court. She thought of her renewed courage. Yes, she had been rewarded. As she jumped in bed to read, she opened her book: The Story of Amy Carmichael.

I'm Gonna Let It Shine

Hallie prepared to speed down the street. She loved pedaling as fast as she could down the hilly street and then coasting as far as possible. Exhilarated, she took a deep breath and began to pedal. Suddenly, she realized that her brother Logan and his friends were crossing the street. “Look out, Logan!” Hallie yelled as she sped toward them. Logan and two of his friends stopped and waited, but another boy didn’t seem to hear Hallie’s warning. “Brandon, watch out!” Logan called. Frustrated, Hallie slammed back on the pedals and swerved to miss Brandon. So much for a joy ride. “Brandon, watch where you’re going!” Hallie scolded her brother’s friend and stormed back up the hill.

That night, Hallie and her family waited until it was dark and then gathered on the back porch. “Here it is!” Hallie’s dad said, referring to a large telescope.

“Cool!” said Logan. “I didn’t know it would be this big!”

“Yeah, we got the biggest we could - well, except for NASA’s,” Hallie’s dad proudly answered.

“Can I look?” Hallie asked, hardly able to wait any longer.

“Just a minute, Hallie,” her dad answered. “Let me get it set up and see what I can find.” Hallie watched her father adjust the telescope and point it in one direction. “Here you go, Hallie. What do you think?”

Hallie took the telescope and eagerly pressed her eye to the viewfinder. "Hmm...there’s a star, but it’s far away - I can’t see it very closely.”

“Turn it a little to the right,” her dad suggested.

“Wow!” Hallie exclaimed. “It’s the moon - and it’s really bright! I’ve never seen it so close up.”

“Let me see!” Logan begged. Hallie handed the viewfinder to her brother. He, too, was amazed. “That is really bright!” he echoed Hallie. “It’s almost as bright as the sun!”

“Actually,” Hallie’s dad said. “The moon isn’t bright at all.”

“What?!” Logan didn’t believe his dad.

“That doesn’t make sense, Dad - it’s the brightest thing out there,” Hallie agreed with her brother.

“Your dad is right,” Hallie’s mom said. “The moon doesn’t have any light of its own.”

“Well, where does it get its light? Aliens?” Logan suggested.

Hallie giggled. “Don’t be silly, Logan. Alien’s don’t exist!” Logan laughed when he saw his sister understood his joke.

“No, not aliens!” Hallie’s mom smiled, too. “The moon’s light is reflected from the sun.”

“Really?” Logan still wasn’t sure.

“That’s neat,” Hallie remarked. “I never knew that.”

“It’s a lot like the Christian life, actually,” Hallie’s dad said.

“HUH?” Now Logan was really confused.

“No, really, listen,” Hallie’s dad began. “As Christians, our purpose in life is to glorify God.”

“But what does that have to do with the moon?” Hallie was beginning to be confused, too.

“Yeah, and what does glorify mean?” Logan questioned.

“I’m glad you asked,” Hallie’s dad replied. “Does glorifying God mean to make Him great?” he asked Hallie and Logan.

“Nooooo,” Logan answered, but he was just guessing.

“No,” Hallie continued. “Because God already is great.”

“Right!” her dad answered.

“To glorify God is to help others see how great God is,” Hallie’s mom pointed out. “Like you said, God already is great, and by glorifying Him, we help others see His greatness. God’s greatness is already there, we just help others see it.”

“Okaaaay,” Hallie was confused.

Logan was lost, too. “And where does the moon come in?”

“Well, the moon doesn’t have any light of its own, so it reflects the light of the sun and gives us light during the dark of night. Hey, that rhymes!” Hallie’s dad joked.

“You’re a poet and you didn’t even know it,” Logan encouraged. Everyone laughed.

“And we don’t have any greatness of our own,” Hallie’s mom continued, “because everything we have comes from God. Matthew 5 says that we are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14). ‘In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven’” (Matt. 5:16).

“Oh, I get it!” Hallie understood. “We reflect God’s greatness so others can see it?”

“That’s right!” her mom answered.

“Uh, how does that work?” Logan was still confused.

“Well, let’s say that you have a friend that doesn’t know God.” Hallie’s dad began an illustration. “You’ve told him about Jesus, but he doesn’t seem to really care. You’re still friends with him, and you always act the way you know Jesus would act. You’re nice to him, you’re not a sore loser - you set a good example. Well, soon your friend realizes that you’re not like a lot of his other friends, and he wonders why you’re different. Now he’s ready to listen to you talk about Jesus.”

“I think I understand,” Logan said. “So if he knows that I know Jesus, and I act like Jesus, it’s like I’m shining God’s light on my friend?”

“That’s a good way to put it, son,” Hallie’s dad agreed.

“So,” Logan grinned, “the moon reflects the sun and we reflect the Son?” Logan is quite the clown, Hallie thought as she and her family chuckled at Logan’s joke.

The next day Hallie was again riding her bike and preparing to speed down the street. She looked up and noticed Brandon was out walking his family’s dog. I wonder if Brandon knows about Jesus, she thought as she began to pedal. Just as she was pedaling as fast as she could, Brandon’s dog jerked the leash from his hand and sped straight toward Hallie. Hallie slammed back on the pedals, stopping the bike quickly. Jumping off her bike, she grabbed the dog’s leash so he couldn’t run any farther. Smiling, she walked the dog back to Brandon. “Here’s your dog, Brandon. He’s fast!”

“Uh, thanks,” Brandon said, a little surprised at Hallie’s kindness.

“Brandon, I’m sorry for yelling at you the other day. It wasn’t nice of me to do that - I know that God wants me to treat everyone kindly. Will you forgive me?”

“Uh, s-sure,” Brandon stammered, still unsure of Hallie’s change in attitude.

“I see you walking your dog a lot,” Hallie continued the conversation. “Do you like dogs?”

“Yeah,” Brandon finally smiled. “I’m teaching him tricks, too, do you wanna see?”

“I’d love to!” Hallie answered, smiling to Brandon. She smiled on the inside, too, as she thought, “‘Let your light shine before others...’”