Power Charged: A Collection of Christian Short Stories for Children

By Norma Armand

POWER CHARGED A COLLECTION OF CHRISTIANSHORT STORIES FOR CHILDREN Written by Norma Armand

POWER CHARGEDA COLLECTION OF CHRISTIAN SHORT STORIES FOR CHILDREN Copyright © Norma Armand 2015 Title-page illustration © Norma Armand 2015 All Rights ReservedNo part of this book may be reproduced in any form, byphotocopying or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book. ISBN 978-0-9559573-1-4 First Published 2015 Printed in Great Britain

DEDICATION This collection of short stories is dedicated toeveryone who wants to see young people grow up knowing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Norma Armand

ACKNOWLEGEMENTI would like to acknowledge Liz Piper of St Luke’sChurch, Cranham, who inspired me to write these stories. Norma Armand

Contents Page 11. Perseverance 82. V.I.P3. Jealousy 164. Greed 245. Forgiveness 326. Anger 397. Honesty 478. Sacrifice 549. Faith 6110. Giving 6911. Word Power 7612. Pride 8313. God is Watching 9014. Temptation 9715. Wisdom 10516. Hearing from God 11217. Prayer 12018. Grace 12819. Trials 13520. Thanksgiving 143

PERSEVERANCE Nine year old Ella stopped looking at hermaths homework and gazed out of the window asAllegro, her cat, whizzed across the lawn like ablack streak and vanished into the bushes. Sheenvied him. He didn’t have to worry about ‘stupidmaths.’ She put her pen down, got up from the tableand went outside. It was warm and sunny in the garden and Ellarocked on her creaky swing and stared up at the bluesky and small white clouds that drifted slowly by. “Ella!” mum called from the kitchen door.“Aren’t you supposed to be doing your mathshomework?” 1

“I’ll do it later, mum,” Ella replied, in fullflight. “It’s best to get it over with. Then you canrelax,” mum said as she approached Ella. “I can’t do it anyway. It’s too hard,” Ellaconfessed unhappily. “Then why don’t we look at it together andsee what the problem is?” “Oh, do we have to?” Ella pleaded, asAllegro emerged empty mouthed and restless. “Yes, we do,” mum replied firmly. At the table, Ella showed mum theinformation booklet she had been given. It showedhow to work out the various maths problems she hadbeen set. “Hmm.” Mum rubbed her chin. “I must admitthis is not how I learnt maths when I was at school.It’s very different. But I don’t want to confuse you,so let’s stick to how the school wants you to learnit.” “I hate maths,” Ella moaned. 2

“You have to leave your feelings out of it,Ella, as hard as that may be. Being negative onlyprevents you from learning and understanding.You’ve got to be positive and believe that withGod’s help, you can do it. Just keep on trying untilyou succeed.” “I don’t think it’ll work.” “It will. I promise you. Do you rememberwhen you were learning how to swim? It didn’tseem possible at first, did it?” Ella agreed. She was six and her brotherDaniel, eight, when they went on holiday abroad.Their hotel had a shallow indoor pool, which wasquieter than the outdoor ones. Ella didn’t like waterand feared drowning, unlike Daniel, who roaredbefore leaping in with an almighty crash. Mum encouraged her to sit on the edge andslosh her feet about before climbing in. The watercame up to her neck and she screamed as a giganticwave washed over her face and charged down herthroat, thanks to Daniel’s clowning. Mum gave him 3

a good telling off as Ella spluttered and cougheduncontrollably. “I want to get out,” Ella cried, her eyesstinging. “Don’t worry. You’ll be all right,” mumreassured her. “You’ll soon get used to getting yourface wet.” But Ella was not happy, so mum prayed shewould not be afraid of the water and trust God tokeep her safe. Gradually, Ella began to calm down andmum taught her how to move her arms and legs. Shewas given a ‘Noodle,’ to wrap around her body andElla soon grew accustomed to the water and swamabout happily. Within days she felt ready to try afew strokes without the support of the ‘Noodle,’ andfound herself moving further and further away fromthe edge, without sinking. Feeling bolder, sheattempted to swim the pool’s width and succeeded,and by the end of the holiday, Ella was swimminglengths comfortably. 4

“What did it take for you to learn how toswim in the end?” mum asked her. “I kept on trying?” “That’s right, and do you know what it’scalled when you keep on trying?” Ella shrugged hershoulders. “It’s called perseverance. It means nevergiving up, even when it’s difficult. Now what arethe benefits of knowing how to swim?” “It’s good fun and it’s good exercise.” “That’s right and it’s an important life skill asit could save your life or somebody else’s one day.Maths is an important life skill too, but for differentreasons. It helps you to think clearly, which willhelp you in other subjects; and open up many jobopportunities for you in the future. So you can lookat maths as a seed that will bring a harvest in theright season.” “I never thought about it like that before.” “That’s hardly surprising. Before we getstarted, shall we pray?” Ella nodded, closed her eyesand put her hands together. “Dear Jesus,” mum 5

began, “thank you for everything we have andeverything you do for us. Please help Ella tounderstand maths and do the best she can. Thankyou Lord, for hearing our prayer. Amen.” “Amen,” Ella echoed. “Now let’s start working through theseexercises,” mum said and went through the variousmethods with Ella and wrote down additionalexamples. “I’m going to leave you to get on with therest of the questions and I’ll come back and see howyou’re getting on in half an hour or so. Andremember, if you get stuck at any time, keep prayingand asking God to make it clear to you. Okay?” “Yes, mum.” Ella swept away her negative thoughts andreplaced them with positive ones instead. She feltGod was helping her and understood why sheneeded to persevere and finished the remainingexercises without any problems. 6

“Well done,” mum said after checking herdaughter’s answers. “You’ve got them all right. Doyou still hate maths?” “Well,” Ella twisted her mouth, “not as muchas I did before.” “That’s the spirit, Ella.” Mum gave her a bighug. “Keep up the good work. Now you can gooutside and play.” “Thanks, mum.” Ella’s face lit up as she ran into the gardenand scooped up Allegro in her arms. “I can do it,” she told Allegro and laughed asthe cat stared at her, wondering what all the fuss wasabout. 7

V.I.P “Hello. Is that Mrs Peters?” “Yes, it is.” “It’s Miss Kenwood here.” “Hello, Miss Kenwood.” “I’m ringing up about Alex.” “What has he done this time?” Hardly a week went by without a phone callfrom Miss Kenwood, deputy head of Alex’s primaryschool. “He’s been disruptive in class, not listeningto his teacher and has spent the last period with me.Can you come in and see me at three thirty?” 8

“Of course. I’ll see you then.” “Thank you, Mrs Peters.” As Mrs Peters approached the school office,she felt as if she had been the naughty pupil and nother son, even though she knew this feeling of guiltwas not from God. Miss Kenwood led Mrs Peters into her office,where Alex sat with folded arms and a stony face. Miss Kenwood gave her the details of Alex’sbehaviour, and then waited for a response fromAlex, which did not come. “Well, Alex,” said Mrs Peters, “what haveyou got to say for yourself?” “Sorry.” Alex dragged the word through hislips. “What are you sorry for?” “For misbehaving in class and not doing as Iwas told,” he recited without enthusiasm. “And what are you going to do differently tostop this from happening in the future?” 9

“I’m going to do as I’m told,” he saidrobotically. “I’ll have a good talk with him when we gethome,” Mrs Peters offered, hoping to end themeeting. “As you know, Mrs Peters, we have beenhere before and there has been very littleimprovement. I’m of the opinion that Alex needs tohave an assessment done so that this or anotherestablishment can best meet your son’s educationalneeds.” “I don’t think that’s necessary. There’snothing wrong with him. He’s just a child. He’llgrow out of it.” “Meanwhile, pupils in his class are havingtheir education disrupted and teachers are unable toteach because of Alex.” Mrs Peters had to bite her lip to stop the tearsfrom falling from her eyes as she ushered Alexhome. She wasn’t very fond of Miss Kenwood anddidn’t believe she had her son’s best interests at 10

heart. Alex had been brought up in a lovingChristian home and knew right from wrong. Sheneeded to get to the bottom of Alex’s problems andfast. “Alex,” mum said after dinner. “We reallyneed to sort this out. Why did you misbehave inclass today?” “Rory splashed my picture with paint, so Iflicked some back and it ended up all over his shirt.” “What could you have done when Rory spoiltyour picture?” “Tell the teacher and I did, but she wouldn’tlisten to me. That’s when I got angry and got intotrouble.” “When did you tell the teacher?” “After Rory told her what I’d done.” “It was too late by then. You should havetold her straight away, instead of getting your ownback first. You need to think carefully before youact. Ask yourself, ‘Am I doing the right thing?’ Itwon’t always feel right, but it’s what’s best for you 11

and pleasing to God. We’re not responsible for otherpeople’s behaviour, but we are responsible for ourown.” “Okay, mum. I’ll try.” “Is there anything else bothering you, Alex?” “No. The teachers just don’t like me.” “The question is, Alex, do you like yourself?” Alex slowly shook his head. “Why’s that, love?” “Because everybody’s smarter than me.” “That’s not true.” “Shelby’s smarter than me.” “People are intelligent in different ways.Your sister may be a fast learner, but you’re good atthings she’s not. You’re more creative for instance.” “That doesn’t count.” “Of course it does. God didn’t make us allthe same did he? That’s why some people aredoctors and others are musicians. Did you know thatyou’re a V.I.P?” “What’s a V.I.P?” 12

“A very important person.” “That’s silly. I’m not famous.” “You don’t have to be,” mum explained.“You’re important because God says you are. Jesuswas the most important person that lived on earth.He cared so much about you that he died on thecross so that you could live forever. He knowseverything about you and is interested in everythingyou do. He has great plans for you and wants what’sbest for you, but you have to do things his way andthat means following his commandments.” “I’m a V.I.P.” Alex grinned and patted hischest. “You are, Alex. So remember that whenyou’re not feeling very smart. I want you to realisethat you’re not in competition with other people.You’re in competition with yourself. So stopcomparing yourself with other people. It’s not aboutbeing the best, but being the best that you can be.Keep surprising yourself and then you’ll feel a lothappier and more confident.” She kissed the top of 13

his head. “Why don’t we say a prayer to God rightnow?” mum suggested, and Alex put his handstogether and closed his eyes. “Dear Lord, thank you that Alex is a veryimportant person to you and that you are alwayswith him. I pray that he will turn to you for divineguidance every day of his life and exceed allexpectations in school and in every area of his life. Iask this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.” “Amen,” Alex said with a serene look on hisface. “Let’s show Miss Kenwood that she’s gotyou all wrong,” mum said. “Yeah. I’ll show her,” Alex added withdetermination. That evening Alex drew a picture of himselfwith the initials V.I.P. written across the top and asymbol of the cross beside it. “That’s fantastic,” mum praised him. “Let’sput it on the wall so that you can see it every day.” 14

From then on, Alex started concentrating inclass and his work and behaviour steadily improved.Mrs Peters stopped receiving phone calls from MissKenwood, and the next time the deputy headcontacted her, it was to praise Alex’s miraculoustransformation! 15

Bible IndexThe following Bible scriptures are directly or indirectlyconnected to the short stories. I would therefore encourageadults and children to read these scriptures in order toreinforce the messages contained within them.1. Perseverance.............R..o..m...a..n. s 8:31, Philippians 4:132. V.I.P .........................P..s.a..l.m...s. 139:1-16, Jeremiah 29:113. Jealousy....................G..e..n..e..s.i.s 4:1-8, Proverbs 14:304. Greed........................1..T..i.m...o..thy 6:10, Hebrews 13:55. Forgiveness ..............G..e..n..e..s.i.s 37, 39-45, Matthew 18:21- 35, Colossians 3:136. Anger........................M...a..t.t.h..e.w 5: 38-47, Ephesians 4:26-27, James 1:19-217. Honesty ....................G..e..n..e..s.i.s 2- 3, 1 Corinthians 15:45-498. Sacrifice ...................M...a..t.t.h..e.w 19:16-22, John 3:169. Faith .........................M...a..t.t.h..e.w 14:22-33, Philippians 4:6-7, Hebrews 11:1-3110. Giving.......................L..u..k..e...6.:38, Acts 20:35, 2 Corinthians 9:711. Word Power .............P..r.o..v..e..r.bs 18:20-21, Matthew 7:1-5, 12:3612. Pride .........................P..r.o..v..e..r.bs 16:18, Luke 15:11-3213. God is Watching.......P..r.o..v..e..r.bs 15:3, Luke 12:2-3, Acts 5:1- 1014. Temptation ...............M...a..t.t.h..e.w 4:1-11, 6:9-1315. Wisdom ....................P..r.o..v..e..r.bs 4:5-9, 8:1-36, James 1:5-616. Hearing from God ....1...S..a..m...uel 3:1-18, Job 33:14-1717. Prayer .......................M...a..t.t.h..e.w 7:7-11, Luke 18:1-8, Acts 12:6-1618. Grace ........................P..s.a..l.m...s. 23:6, Hebrews 4:1619. Trials ........................1...S..a..m...uel 17:17-51, James 1:1220. Thanksgiving............P..s.a..l.m...s. 50:14, 100:4, 116:17 150