Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 2:27-35
I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I tell him to do. 1 Samuel 2:35
ERIC WAS LITTLE, but he loved his grandfather. He especially loved it when Grandpa would let him help around the house. One day, Grandpa and Eric were working together in the garage. They were hanging a piece of Peg-Board on the wall so Grandpa would be able to hang his many tools on it.
As they positioned the Peg-Board against the wall, Grandpa thought of something. “Eric, can you hold this up for just a second?” he asked, nodding at the Peg-Board he held up with his hand. “I left my drill on the kitchen counter.”
“Sure, Grandpa,” Eric said, smiling. “I can do it.”
Grandpa winked at Eric and dashed into the house. He walked through the living room, and snatched his electric drill off the kitchen counter. Then he turned, and the scene on the television—which was running in an empty room—caught his eye. A football game was being played, and Grandpa watched as one of the players caught a kickoff and ran it back. The runner dodged tackler after tackler and finally danced into the opposite end zone—a touchdown! Grandpa smiled and shook his head in amazement at the runner’s ability. Suddenly, however, he remembered he had left Eric holding the Peg-Board against the wall!
Grandpa walked to the garage as fast as he could. When the door closed behind him, he saw Eric standing at the wall, his eyes clamped shut. Both hands gripped the Peg-Board as he struggled to hold it up against the wall. Tears streamed from his eyes from the pain in his tired arms.
“Eric!” Grandpa said, easily taking the board out of Eric’s arms. “I’m so sorry!”
Eric smiled through his tears. “Oh, that’s OK, Grandpa,” he said, letting go of the board and rubbing his sore muscles. “I didn’t let go, did I? I didn’t let go.”
“Oh, Eric,” Grandpa said, mentally kicking himself for stopping to watch the football game. “You didn’t have to keep holding that Peg-Board.”
“I didn’t want to let you down, Grandpa,” Eric said. “And I didn’t, did I?”
“No,” Grandpa said, setting the Peg-Board down and picking his grandson up into his arms. “No, you didn’t.”
REFLECT: What Eric did is admirable, isn’t it? Why? Do you think Grandpa valued Eric’s faithfulness? Why or why not? Do you think God values faithfulness? Why or why not? Do you think anything in today’s Bible reading shows that God values faithfulness? If so, what?
PRAY: “God, I know you value faithfulness, just like Eric’s grandfather valued Eric’s faithfulness. Help me to be more like Eric and less like the unfaithful priests mentioned in today’s Bible reading.”
