The Tempting Toy
Lily loved to play with her toys, and her favorite was a bright red race car. It was shiny, fast, and she took it everywhere she went. One day, she brought it to school to show her friends.
During indoor recess, Lily’s friend Jake saw the car and wanted to play with it too. But instead of asking, he snatched it from Lily’s desk when she wasn’t looking. He knew it was wrong, but he thought, “It’s just for a few minutes. She won’t even notice.”
But Lily did notice. When she returned to her desk and saw her car was gone, she felt sad and confused. “Where did my car go?” she wondered.
Jake, seeing how upset Lily was, felt a pang of guilt. He quickly put the car back on her desk when she wasn’t looking and pretended nothing had happened. But the guilt stayed with him, making him feel worse and worse.
That afternoon, their teacher Mrs. Green, talked to the class about being kind and honest. She said, “When we do something wrong, even if it seems small, it can hurt others. And sometimes, when others see us doing wrong, they might think it’s okay to do the same.”
Jake knew exactly what she meant. He realized that by taking the car, he had not only hurt Lily, but he also set a bad example for the other kids. He didn’t want to be someone who led others to do wrong.
After school, Jake found Lily and confessed, “I’m sorry, Lily. I took your car without asking. It wasn’t right, and I feel really bad about it.”
Lily was surprised, but she saw how sorry Jake was. She forgave him and said, “Next time, just ask. We can play together.”
From that day on, Jake promised himself he would always try to do what was right, even when it was hard. He understood that making good choices wasn’t just about being good for himself, but also about helping others to do the same.
As for Lily, she was happy to have her toy back and even happier to have a friend who had learned the importance of honesty and kindness.
A children’s story based on the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jesus warns against causing others to sin and emphasizes the importance of living a life free from sin. Gospel of Luke 11:5-13