Mending The Rip
 

Mending The Rip

Heidi darted out of Samantha's house and headed for home. "Some friend she is!" fumed Heidi as she stomped up the steps to her own back door. But at the top step, she stumbled and fell. Getting up, she brushed herself off. "Oh, no!" moaned Heidi when she saw a rip in her shirt. Tears filled her eyes, and she ran into the house to find her mother. "Mom," she cried, "this is the worst day of my life! Samantha called me names, and just now I fell on the steps and tore my shirt."

"I'm sorry, honey," said Mom as she examined the shirt. "This isn't a very bad tear, though. I'll mend it right now before it gets worse. I'm sure I can fix it so no one will ever know it was torn."

Heidi changed her clothes, and as her mother got busy with needle and thread, Heidi told her about the quarrel with Samantha. "You should have heard what she called me," whined Heidi.

"And what did you call her?" asked Mom.

"Uh-well, I . . . I don't exactly remember what I said," stammered Heidi, "but I was pretty mad." She continued to grumble and complain while Mom worked on the shirt.

Soon the tear in the shirt was mended, and Mom showed it to Heidi. "I'm glad you showed me that rip right away," said Mom. "If it had gotten longer, it would have been much harder to fix."

Heidi inspected the shirt. "Awesome! Thanks!" she exclaimed. "I can't even see where it was ripped!" She smiled. "It's my favorite shirt," she added.

"And what about the rip in your friendship with Samantha-your favorite friend?" asked Mom. "Shouldn't that rip be mended today, too?"

Heidi looked at the floor in embarrassment. "But it wasn't my fault," she said, trying to excuse her part in the quarrel.

"Not entirely, perhaps," replied Mom, "but does that matter? Don't you think mending that ripped friendship is more important than fixing your ripped shirt?" Heidi hesitated. "Think about it," added Mom. "Mend it before it gets worse. You'll be glad you did."

HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you quarreled with a friend or relative? Isn't your relationship with that person important enough for you to forgive and forget? Besides, you may need to be forgiven, too, since it takes two to quarrel. Mend torn friendships quickly. Perhaps that will be easier to do if you remember how much God has forgiven you.

TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
If anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Colossians 3:13
Kid's Daily Devotional