Bible Reading: Genesis 3:8-23; Romans 6:23; 8:1

Lila normally loved her and Mom's monthly post-church café tradition. They sat at their usual window seat, but today Lila nudged ice cubes around with her straw in silence. Unable to bear the silence anymore, Mom asked what was wrong.

Sighing, Lila responded, "Well, we learned about sin today at church, and I just don't understand. Why does sin have to ruin everything, and why does it cause pain and death and heartbreak?"

"Now that's a big question," Mom said, "but a good one. Let me take a moment and try to think of a good way to answer." She looked out the window until her eyes landed on something. "Do you see that wasp?"

Lila grimaced at the yellow-and-black-winged terror. "Yes."

"Well, sin is kind of like your allergic reactions to wasp stings," said Mom. "How did you feel when you got stung last week?"

Lila rubbed the spot on her arm where a wasp had stung her. It was still slightly red and raised up. "I was dizzy. My whole arm swelled up, and I even had trouble breathing."

"Right. Even though the wasp only stung one tiny part of your body, you still felt its horrible effects everywhere. Like your bee sting, it only took one mistake for everything to become cursed with sin. When Adam and Eve, the first two people, chose their own way instead of God's, their disobedience broke the perfect relationship they had with God and brought sin and its horrible effects into the world."

"And that's why Jesus had to come," said Lila.

Mom nodded. "Jesus's perfect life, death on the cross, and resurrection from the grave saves us from the punishment of sin and heals our relationship with God. But because sin still exists in the world, we see its effects in our lives--like when wasps sting us and cause us pain. Yet we can be excited about how God will make everything perfect again one day."

Lila glanced at the wasp outside the window. "Yeah, thank You, Jesus, for saving us…and thank You for allergy medicine!"

"Praise Jesus, indeed," Mom said with a smile.

Lila grinned as their server set a plate of waffles down in front of her. "Praise Jesus for waffles too."

–Zoe Brickner

How About You?
Have you ever wondered how sin could cause so much pain and suffering in the world? It's easy to forget how awful sin truly is and how it effects everything. But God, out of His unexplainable and never-ending love for us, sent Jesus to save us from sin, and He promises to one day make everything perfect again. When we trust in Him, we can look forward to the day when all pain and suffering will end.

Today's Key Verse:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV) (Romans 6:23)

Today's Key Thought:
God will make everything perfect