Devotions for Kids: The Prudent Gardener

Devotions for Kids is a series meant for sharing so that everyone - family and community - can spend time in God's Word together with the children in their lives and grow in faith.

And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.

Luke 16:8

Okay friends, our word of the day is "prudent."  When someone is prudent, they think ahead to avoid problems and choose the best way to do things.  Can you think of someone in your life who thinks ahead and makes good choices?  Can you remember a time when you were prudent?  Let's talk about an example of prudence by hearing Maggie's story:

Maggie's church was setting up a community garden to help feed the neighborhood, with small plots for every family to care for.  Maggie really wanted to serve God, so she asked her mom and dad for permission to take care of their garden space all by herself.  She was so excited to fill the small, empty patch of earth with all kinds of vegetables that she didn't take the time to think about where all her seeds should be planted so they would each have lots of space to grow.  Maggie scattered seeds here and there, rushing to get everything planted because she believed the faster the seeds were in the ground, the faster her garden would grow.  In her excitement, she forgot to be prudent and think about the best way to plant in order to avoid problems.

A few days later, Maggie ran to the church garden, joyfully ready to see all the beautiful blooms springing up out of the soil.  But when she arrived, she found that only a few plants had stretched above ground, and they were all really droopy!  Sister Veronica, a nun from her church, walked past and asked Maggie what her plan for the garden had been.  Sadly, Maggie admitted, she didn't have a plan; her only hope was to have bright, crunchy vegetables as soon as possible.

Sister Veronica knelt down and gently reminded Maggie that the best gardeners think ahead.  They know where each plant in the garden should go in order to grow up big and strong.  They are prudent, and they are rewarded for it.  Maggie realized she hadn't been prudent at all and felt like she had let God down by not being more responsible for her garden.

The next day, Maggie returned, now more determined to plant a garden that would serve her community with healthy foods.  She pulled out the struggling plants and drew a map in the dirt, using it as a guide for where each seed should go.  She came back every morning to water and tend her garden with great care.

The plants in Maggie's garden didn't grow quickly, but when they finally did, her garden plot was the most beautiful, full of bright tomatoes, carrots, and peppers!  When harvest day arrived, Maggie was able to bring big baskets full of vegetables to the community center where she served God and her neighbors with the treasures of her work.

Let's pray: God, I want to be prudent.  I want to avoid problems and choose the best way to do things because it will keep me safe, help the people around me, and most of all serve and honor You.  Help me to know when I am rushing, when I am not being prudent, and remind me of how happy You are when I think ahead!  Amen.