Dead Bones

Come down to the railroad tracks with me. I saw a skeleton of an animal and I want you to help me find out what it is. Be careful as we cross the ditch and scramble up the rocky bank. No trains in sight, so follow me. See, over there? A chain of white bones with ribs and a skull. Ugh! What is it?

What was it, you mean. It is only bones and skin now. The remains of an opossum, I’ll guess. See those dark round ears and the pointed head? How different these bones look from the furry white opossum that climbed up on these tracks! If we come back later only the skeleton will be left and we can keep its skull. You can learn a lot about an animal from studying its skeleton. You can see how it moved, what it ate, and how big it was. But the most amazing thing about this pile of bones was that it used to be a living, breathing creature. We can’t give something life, but God can.

Does looking at a pile of dead bones make you shiver? Some people’s hearts are just like that. Instead of being cheerful and loving like God wants them to be, they are angry, fearful, and selfish. What about you? Are you bitter and hard inside, like a pile of dead bones? Do you feel lonely and afraid? God meant for you to be alive inside, breathing in peace and happiness from Him. You can’t make your “dry-bones” heart come alive, but God can. He can take a sad, dead heart and make it into a new creature, alive in Christ Jesus. And that’s what He wants to do for you.