Inside-Out

“Mama, Meg is being mean,” Davy said, coming into the family room. “She’s says I’m a baby and won’t let me play with the kittens.”

Davy’s mother looked up from her sewing. “Were you being kind to them?” she asked.

“Yes, I was!” six-year-old Davy declared. “And they are more my kitties than hers, because Whiskers is my cat!”

“I see,” said Mama. “Perhaps you weren’t sharing, hmm?”

Davy shook his head quickly. “I did share, but Meg just said that I didn’t.”

“We’ll have to see about that. Go fetch my scissors now,” said Mama. “I left them on the kitchen table.”

Davy started to obey, but suddenly he began hopping. “Ouch! Something poked my foot!”

“Did you step on a pin?” asked Mama, coming to look. She rubbed her hand over the carpet. “Maybe something is stuck in your sock,” she suggested.

Davy sat down and held his foot in his lap. Nothing was poking into his sock. But the minute he put his foot down, something pricked him. Mama rubbed her hand along the bottom of his foot. “Ouch!” Davy said. “That hurts.”

“Something must be stuck inside your sock,” said Mama. “Were you playing outside without your boots again?”

Davy took off his sock and peered inside. “I don’t see anything,” he said.

“Let’s turn it inside out,” said Mama. “Then we’ll be able to see what’s there.”

Sure enough, a small hay seed was sticking to the inside of Davy’s sock. “What a naughty little troublemaker,” Mama said with a smile, picking it off. “We don’t want you here!”

Davy smiled, too. “It was trying to hide from us,” he said.

“Just like naughty little attitudes that like to hide inside little hearts,” Mama said, handing him the sock. “See if it doesn’t feel better now.”

Davy pulled it on and stood up. “No pricks!” he said.

“All the better to get my scissors with,” Mama reminded him.

Davy was just coming back from the kitchen when his sisters came inside. “Davy wasn’t playing nicely with the kittens,” Meg said.

“He took them away,” added little Beth.

“And when I told him to put them back with their mama, he kicked off his boots,” Meg said, triumphantly.

“And what about you? Were you being kind?” Mama asked her oldest daughter.

Meg nodded. “Yes, I was making sure everyone got a turn.”

“Hmm,” said Mama, looking from one child to the next. “It seems that there are a lot of prickers hiding in this room. Everyone says that they behaved fine, but the other people didn’t. How am I going to find out the truth?”

“Will you have to turn us inside out?” asked Davy, looking worried.

Mama laughed. “That would be a good idea, except that I can’t do it. But God knows what’s inside and He can turn us inside out if we ask Him.”

“People can’t be turned inside out!” Meg exclaimed. “They would die.”

“I’m talking about inside our hearts and attitudes,” Mama explained. “You told me that you were being kind, and Davy said you weren’t. Davy said that he was sharing, and Beth said he wasn’t. I can’t see who is telling me the truth, but God can.”

Mama looked at the children and smiled. “Let’s ask Him to help us.”

Soberly they knelt down and Mama began to pray. “Dear Father, You know what’s inside each heart. You love Meg and Davy and Beth, and You want them to be honest. You can help them get rid of the naughty prickers that are bothering them and making them not get along. Please help us now.”

After she had finished it was quiet a moment, then Meg whispered, “I’m sorry for saying Davy was a baby when he didn’t listen to me.”

Davy wiggled uncomfortably. “I’m sorry for grabbing the kittens,” he said at last. “And for kicking off my boots.” He peeked up at Mama and added quickly, “I didn’t mean to walk in my socks—and I picked off all the hay before I came inside.”

Mama laid her hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad you did,” she said softly. “Are there any more naughty prickers inside?”

Davy shook his head. “I want to share my kitties. I don’t want to be selfish.” He smiled. “You can have the gray one, Beth. Even if its my favorite.”

“We can share it,” said Beth. “I like the black one, too.”

“How much better it is to get along and think about others!” Mama said, standing up. “Don’t you feel much happier when you’ve made everything right and you’re not hiding any bad attitudes inside?”

Meg nodded. “Next time, I’ll let Davy divide up the kittens. They really are his.”