The Proud Peacock and the Humble Sparrow
One bright Sunday morning, Sophia walked hand in hand with her parents to church. She looked up at her mother, curious. “Mom, why are we going to church so early?”
Her mother, Grace, smiled warmly. “Today is a special day, Sophia. We’re bringing you for the blessing of a child, just like Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the temple.” Sophia tilted her head. “Why did they do that?”
Once, in a sunny forest, there was a peacock named Percy who had the most dazzling feathers. Every day, he strutted around, boasting, “Look at me! Aren’t I the most splendid bird?”
One day, Percy saw a small, plain sparrow named Sam. With a chuckle, he called out, “Oh, Sam, you must be jealous of my beautiful feathers!”
Sam replied humbly, “Your feathers are lovely, Percy. But beauty on the outside doesn’t make you better than anyone else.”
Percy laughed. “What would you know? You’re just an ordinary sparrow.” He strutted away, proud as ever.
That afternoon, a sudden storm rolled in. Heavy rain poured down, soaking Percy’s grand feathers. His tail became so heavy that he couldn’t fly. He stumbled and fell, trapped by the weight of his own beauty.
Sam saw Percy struggling and quickly flew down to help. Although small, Sam’s light feathers kept him flying even in the rain. “Hold on, Percy,” he chirped. “I’ll help you to safety.”
With Sam’s guidance, Percy made it to a dry spot under a tree. Exhausted and embarrassed, Percy looked at Sam and said, “I was so proud of my feathers that I didn’t see how they weighed me down. And I was unkind to you. I’m sorry.”
Sam smiled kindly. “It’s what’s inside that counts, Percy. A good heart is worth more than the finest feathers.”
From then on, Percy was humble and kind, realizing that true beauty came from within. And under the forest canopy, he and Sam became the best of friends.Based on Luke 6:45: “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good.”
