For Natalie, when she was having a bad time not being scared to walk through the cafeteria by herself.....Based on Philippians 4:13...
It was a Thursday. A day not too different than any other – time to get ready for school when the alarm went off. Except this morning, Natalie remembered yesterday. Scary! She didn’t want to go back so when her Mom came in to help her get dressed, she started to get upset.
“Mommy, I don’t want to you to drop me off at the Cafeteria anymore” she said in a tearful, small voice.
“Why Sweetheart? Is there something making you scared?” Her Mommy asked, concerned.
Yes, absolutely, she thought. The day before she walked into the Cafeteria after her Mom dropped her off – but she didn’t see her best friend as usual. Then, she had to walk by herself to find her class and all those kids were looking at her-they wouldn’t stop staring at her! The more they looked, the more they started to look mean.
Then-out of the corner of her eye-she saw it. It was huge & smelly with big green buggy eyes and a slobbery mouth with lots of sharp teeth. And it was staring right at her!
“MUWAHAHAHA!” it laughed harshly. Its voice sounded like when Natalie fell off her scooter, cut her knees and got gravel in it. “You don’t have any friends to walk with you and none of these other kids like you!” It shouted from the far corner. It continued to sneer and growl at her as she walked past. She started to cry and ran past it. She settled down when she got to her classroom, but this morning she remembered IT would be waiting for her!
Her Mom told her everything would be alright. After all, she’d been going to Kindergarten for 2 ½ weeks now and this was the first time she’d been scared. Even her first time to walk into the Cafeteria alone – she knew exactly where to go after her Mom showed her – she walked right in.
But now – there was that THING waiting for her. How could she go in?
Then her Mom said, “Natalie, would you like to pray about it?”
Natalie knew from before that prayer always helped her feel better. If she woke up in the night from a bad dream – they would pray and she would fall right back to sleep.
So, they said a prayer. And that was when her Mom reminded her of a verse she knew from The Bible. She’d learned it awhile ago, when she had a lot of trouble brushing her hair. She learned to say “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” She knew that when she got frustrated saying that helped her calm down. Then her Mom told her what that verse really meant.
Her Mom explained, “You know that means, because you have Jesus in your heart, He is with you – just imagine Him holding your hand. He is walking right beside you and will give you the courage not to be scared when you walk into the Cafeteria.”
Natalie was still unsure about it but the more they said that verse together – the more excited she became. They even made up a song together with a big finish at the end!
So, the time came for her to get out of the car and go into the Cafeteria. As she got out, her Mom said “Remember, think about Jesus holding your hand.” Natalie strapped on her backpack and was determined to beat that Green-Googly Eyed Monster.
Then, the strangest thing happened. As she walked through the doors, she didn’t feel scared. She saw the monster and he started to laugh.
“You brought a friend today – HA! That won’t save you! You are mine – you are going to be scared every day because I’m not going anywhere!”
Just then – Natalie felt an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder and patting her back. Then she heard a voice whisper in her ear “Don’t worry Natalie, there isn’t anything in the Universe that can harm you when you are with Me.” Natalie knew she was safe they approached The Monster.
“Come closer – 'fraidy cat! I’m going to eat you alive!” The Monster bellowed.
Suddenly, Natalie felt a mighty wind blow through the room – it blew all her hair in her face.
“You will leave this place and never bother Natalie or any other child here again” she heard a quiet but powerful voice say. Suddenly, she saw a tall, dark-haired man standing next to her. She’d never seen him before but she felt like she knew him.
“And who are you to order me out of here!” The Monster snarled, snapping his slobbery fangs at the man.
“I own this place and everything in it – I control the Sun & Stars, the Moon and Sea – and I am telling you to leave Natalie & all in this school alone.”
With that, it was the Monster's turn to look scared. It turned around, packed up all its stuff, picked up its slimy tentacles and put on his hat. It looked straight at the man and said “Yes, sir. I won’t come back again” and walked right out the door.
Natalie looked up at the tall man and said “Thank you! You really are always with me, huh?”
He smiled and said “You know it! You’re my best friend! I heard you call for me so I thought I’d take care of that monster for you. I’ll always help you.”
“Thanks! Can I see you later? After school?”
“You might not always see me but I will be here with you, all day, everyday – remember, when you are feeling weak – that’s when I can show you how strong I am!”
“Awesome – gotta go!” Natalie ran off waving as the bell rang. The man waved back.
When Natalie got out of school that day – she told her Mommy all about it. Her Mom just stared at her, amazed, barely believing. Then she kissed her and said she was very proud of her for being such a big girl. Natalie went to bed that night and thanked God for helping her and she never saw that monster again!
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