HomeWord - July 1, 2011

A Twinkie, a Root Beer, and a Smile
This devotional was written by Jim Liebelt

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another. 
—John 13:34-35

The story is told of a little boy who wanted to meet God. Not knowing where God lived, the boy packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and started out on his journey. When he had gone a few blocks, he met an old woman who was sitting in the park staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! Together, they sat all afternoon eating and smiling.

As it grew dark, the boy realized it was time to go home, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!”

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied, “I had Twinkies and root beer in the park with God, and you know, he's much younger than I expected.”

This story reminds me that the love of God, lived out in the lives of His people is powerful! While you and I will likely never be mistaken for being God, we know that through the Holy Spirit, God lives within us and wants us to show His love to others. Many people are desperate for someone, anyone, to love them. Christ commands us to love others! You never know, something as simple as a Twinkie, a root beer or even a smile offered in Jesus’ name might just make all the difference in the world to someone else!

GOING DEEPER:

1. Who among your peers, co-workers or community gets overlooked and could use a demonstration of God’s love?

2. Are you willing to show God’s love to this person today? What specifically can you do to show God’s love to this person?

FURTHER READING:

Mark 9:41; 1 John 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 

Sign up here for Parenting Resources and other HomeWord publications.