The Free Gift

Our church just got done with a week of Vacation Bible School. I had the honor of being one of the group guides as we learned about Australia, and Jesus, at the same time.

Each day the kids had a cool contest to complete, usually involving some Bible verses. Most of the kids completed the required task for the day and got their names put in a jar for a drawing at the end of the day.

I put my assistant in charge of logging in the homework and handing out entry tickets with the kid's names on them. I was busy checking the kid's Bible verse memorization at the same time.

Then assembly time began and we had to stop what we were doing. My asistant handed me three tickets with kid's names on them.

I assumed they were from kids who had completed their homework so I ran out and quickly put their names in the jar. However, I assumed incorrectly. The three names had NOT completed their work.

At the end of the day, names were drawn for a prize and, wouldn't you know it, one of the kids (who did NOT complete their homework) had her name selected.

She went up on the stage but rather than accept the prize, she confessed that she had not done the work and refused to take it.

Think about that for a minute. We have an incredibly honest kid here, something that is becoming increasingly rare these days. That in itself should be rewarded. But we also have the potential to exhibit some of God's grace.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." - Ephesians 2:8

In the end, another name was drawn and a prize was given out to someone else. But I wonder if we missed an opportunity to tell the kids about God's grace and how NONE of us deserves His prize of eternal life through our works.

I had made another wrong assumption - that God was done teaching us that day.

At the very end of the closing assembly that day ANOTHER drawing was held. This time from a jar that had ALL of the kid's names in it, regardless of anything they did or didn't do. And wouldn't you know it. Our honest little girl from today's example was one of the selected winners.

A reward from God for being honest? Who knows?

God does. He, and His amazing grace.