Ribby cocked his head and looked at the new visitor in his backyard. Ribby has seen flowers before. He LOVES the smell of them. They are all a little different, but he enjoys them all. (Don’t tell his mom, but he’s even tasted a few once!) But he didn’t remember ever seeing this one before.
Ribby sniffed the new flower, and yup, he was right; this flower has never been in the yard before. Well, he wasn’t going to risk licking or tasting it, ’cause his mom was right there, and he felt like she would NOT approve.
Ribby started at it for a bit. It was white, which was weird because everything (including his paws at the moment) was covered with mud! It had finally rained yesterday, and he had so much fun in the puddles, but he didn’t realize how much fun he would have the day after in the mud! But that’s a story for another day; this white flower had Ribby puzzled!
With a few more twists and tilts of his head, he thought and knew what to do. He headed to ask his mom about the white flowers.
“MOOOM!!” Ribby yelped from across the yard, “What are these white flowers?”
“Calm down. Calm down,” his mom said as Ribby cuddled up close for the fun lesson that he just knew was coming. “Those are rain lilies!”
Ribby’s eyes brightened with excitement. He was right; it was a new flower! “Why are they so white and everything else is so muddy?” Ribby asked.
“You’re on the right track there, son,” she said. “The mud has something to do with it for sure. Rain lilies come out after a good rain soaks the ground. See how tall they are standing? To me, it’s like they are standing up tall to say thank you to God for the rain and giving them a good drink!”
“WOW! It’s like when we say our prayers every time we eat, right, Momma?”
His mom smiled down at Ribby. “You are absolutely right. We should thank God for all the good things that happen in our lives and even thank him in the not-so-good times.”
“What do you mean? When I’m sad or mad, I don’t feel very thankful,” Ribby said, a little confused.
“When we are having sad, frustrated, or just feeling down, we should talk to God and thank Him for being with us through all of those times too,” she answered.
Ribby perked up at this. “I get it now!” Ribby folded his hands and bowed his head. “God, thank you for the rain yesterday and for being with me when I was sad ‘cause I couldn’t go outside and play. Thank you, God, for the rain lilies. I love them so much, and I love you too, God. Amen.”
“What a perfect prayer, Ribby,” his mom said, pulling him into a hug. “Should we go smell and be with those rain lilies now?”
“Of course, Momma! God made them come out just for us!” Ribby said, tail wagging and already bounding off to smell the next one.
- What did Ribby discover, or find that was new?
- What made the rain lilies grow?
- How did the rain lilies remind his mom of God?
- What did his mom tell him to do when he has hard times?
- What should you do when you are happy or sad?
- Let’s pray together! God, thank you for being with me when I’m happy. Thank you for being with me when I’m sad. I love you. Amen.
Click here for a reflection I wrote to help you, too! Hope it helps you on your journey.
Growing little hearts in God’s love. 🐾
Melanie Drews
Paws on God’s Path
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