Tommy’s smarties

This story is about a five-year-old boy named Tommy. It was time for Tommy to go to kindergarten, but Tommy wasn’t sure whether he was going to like kindergarten. He had been told that it would be lots of fun, and that he would learn interesting things and play with new friends. But he would also be away from home for a whole day. He worried about what it would be like without his mother. How could a strange teacher be as loving as his mother? Maybe the teacher would put a bandage on his knee if he fell and scraped it, but he doubted that she would hug him and give him a kiss. And maybe the other kids would laugh at him if he cried. His mother never laughed at him when he cried. She just hugged him and gave him one of his favourite treats: a Smartie.

So, it was with a lot of worries and misgivings that Tommy climbed into his booster seat in his mom’s car as they set off to kindergarten. His mother came with him into the classroom, introduced him to his teacher and then hugged him goodbye. As she was leaving, Tommy could feel a tightness in his tummy, and he reached into his pocket for his handkerchief to wipe the tears that he knew would soon be coming.

As he reached into his pocket, he felt something beside his hanky. It was sort of hard. He quickly pulled it out and saw that it was a piece of paper with something wrapped in it. When he opened the piece of paper, he saw a heart drawn on it and guess what else? Yes, you’re right; it was a red Smartie!

Suddenly, Tommy didn’t feel so alone anymore. He knew his mom hadn’t forgotten about him and still loved him. All during that long first day at kindergarten, Tommy kept finding Smarties in the most unlikely places. He found one in his snack box, another in his jacket pocket when he went outside to play, and even one in his brand-new crayon box when he went to colour a picture. All day and everywhere, he was reminded that his mom was thinking of him and loved him. Tommy decided that kindergarten wasn’t so bad after all.

Jesus’ disciples felt a little like Tommy after Jesus left them and went back to heaven. They weren’t sure that they could do the job of telling people all over the world about him now that he was gone, after spending forty days with them after his resurrection.

And then, ten days later (which was fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead), something wonderful happened. It was as if Jesus was giving each of them a box of Smarties to remind them that he was still with them, even if they couldn’t see him. Only it wasn’t a box full of Smarties, it was the Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ own Spirit came to live in the disciples’ hearts to let them know that he would always be with them. And here’s the thing: the Holy Spirit didn’t just come to live in the hearts of the disciples, but also comes to live in the hearts of each human being who loves Jesus and wants to serve him, and that includes you and me! So, remember, you are never alone. And that’s a beautiful thing!