Tigris the tiger was feeling worn out.
She was a big tiger, about 3 meters long (including her tail!) and weighed over 200kg.

She had been out hunting all night and had travelled many miles but had caught nothing. There was an antelope but it had escaped, and a wild pig but it had dashed headlong into a small hole in the ground and so escaped her claws and teeth.

Hungry and tired, Tigris felt very sorry for herself as dawn approached. She found a safe place and curled up to sleep. She would hunt again the coming night or sooner if hunger drove her to it.

I wonder if you have ever gone to bed tired and hungry, and not knowing where your next meal was coming from?

When we put our trust in God, He promises to look after us and provide us with what we need.
You can read about it in Matthew's Gospel: Matthew chapter 6 verses 25 to 34

Susan had lost her favourite CD! She had quite a collection of CDs but this one was special. And worse, her friend was coming round that afternoon to listen to it with her. She knew it was in the house because she was listening to it the day before. She hunted about in her bedroom and then flew downstairs crying out, "Mum, it's lost!"

Her mother was busy, said she was always losing things, told her it would be where she left it, and went about her work. Susan flew back upstairs in a huff, checked her pile of CDs again ,and then sat down on her bed in dismay. When she had calmed down she tried to think what she could have done with it, but it was no good, it was well and truly lost.

At last Mum came to help. They searched carefully and methodically throughout the whole house, looking in cupboards and bins and the washing machine and fridge. Pockets were emptied, carpet ends lifted, larder emptied. The broom was fetched to reach behind chairs. Finally in desperation her mother told her,

"Think where you had it last!"

Susan tried but it was hard to think back. She started at the point when she had been listening to it on her CD player. Then a horrible thought flashed into her mind. She ran upstairs and opened the CD-player tray and there it was! She ran downstairs yelling out, "I've found it Mum, it was in the CD tray." Then she added rather quietly, "I can't think how it got in there."

You can read a story Jesus told, about a woman who lost a silver coin, in Luke's Gospel chapter 15 verses 8 to 10. And in the same chapter there are two other stories, one about a lost sheep and one about a lost son.

What Jesus was really getting at was that we can be lost. I don't just mean we can get lost in a strange place but we can get lost to God. Sometimes we wander away from God, don't go to church, don't pray and don't read our Bibles. And then we start doing and saying things we shouldn't and get further and further away from God till finally we are lost.
But we can always be found again, just like the CD was or the coin and sheep and son in the three stories Jesus told. How? By telling God we are sorry and coming back to him.

 Ditherbee the undecided bear

just did not know which way to go! To the left and to the right were large supplies of honey that the bees had made. But to the left was a dangerous river to be crossed and to the right Ditherbee had to scale a very awkward mountain.

He just could not make up his mind which way to go. He would start to the right, change his mind, go to the left, then back to where he started from, till in the end he never went anywhere and other bears got the honey.

We can be like Ditherbee. We can't make up our minds whether we will follow God or not. In the Old Testament of the Bible there was a leader of Israel who had made up his mind. He was Joshua and he told the people to make up their minds whether they would serve the true God or false gods. Then he said, "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Have you made up your mind to follow God?

Little Ben wanted to be just like his Dad when he grew up. Big Ben was so upright in the way he lived and seemed to be able to weather all the storms that sometimes raged about him. Come rain or snow, ice or wind, heat or cold, he just stood firmly there giving out the time. He was always honest and truthful as well.

Big Ben always told the right time no matter what other clocks might say and faithfully rang out the quarter and whole hours day and night. Everybody could rely on him; they said the whole world could set their clocks by Big Ben.

But Little Ben began to get into the wrong company and before he knew it he was telling lies and exaggerating. Before long no one could rely on him and even if he was telling the right time no one was sure he was right.

He began to feel ashamed of himself and tried to cover up his faces and wasn't so straight and upright any more. Then he began to be late for school and sometimes missed school altogether. When his school report was sent home it said he was a poor time-keeper!

What do you think Little Ben's problem was?
What did he need to do if he was to be like his Dad?
Try reading Proverbs chapters 2,3 and 4 in the Bible.

spot the 10 differences

God can make a big difference to our lives.

When we turn to Him in prayer and read His words in the Bible, and ask Jesus to come into our lives, God makes us into the sort of people He wants us to be.