Illustrations Created by: AI
Let us begin with a quiet prayer.
Lord Jesus, forgive us for the times we give You only leftovers instead of our whole hearts. Teach us to follow You with love, honesty, and joy. Help us listen when You speak and trust You enough to walk in Your ways. Amen.
One bright morning, Joppa the Ostrich found Millo hopping near a little picnic blanket under the shade of a tree.
On the blanket were a few dry crumbs, left from someone’s lunch.
Millo pecked at one crumb and made a tiny face.
“Dry crumbs again,” he chirped. “They fill your beak for a second, but they do not really help much.”
Joppa gave a soft laugh. “That sounds like how some people treat important things.”
Millo tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
Joppa looked up at the sky for a moment, thinking.
“Well,” she said, “sometimes people say they love Jesus and want to follow Him. But instead of giving Him their whole heart, they give Him little leftovers. A quick prayer here. A tiny bit of attention there. A song once in a while. A kind word only when it is easy.”
Millo blinked. “Like giving Jesus dry crumbs?”
Joppa nodded. “Yes. Just like that.”
Millo looked down at the blanket. “But Jesus deserves more than crumbs.”
“He does,” Joppa said gently. “He loves us with His whole heart. He teaches us, forgives us, helps us, and stays with us. Following Jesus means we do not just say we love Him. We listen to Him. We trust Him. We choose His way.”
Millo hopped closer. “So following Jesus is more than talking about Him?”
Joppa smiled. “Much more. It means we let Him lead.”
Just then, a breeze stirred the grass, and the little picnic blanket fluttered.
Millo looked thoughtful.
“What does it look like for a little bird to follow Jesus?” he asked.
Joppa’s eyes softened.
“It looks like telling the truth,” she said.
“It looks like being kind when someone is left out.”
“It looks like saying you are sorry when you do wrong.”
“It looks like sharing, helping, and obeying even when it is hard.”
Millo thought about that.
“Sometimes,” he said quietly, “I get distracted. I sing, I flutter, I zoom around, and I forget to stop and listen.”
Joppa nodded. “Me too. Sometimes I get caught up in my own thoughts. But Jesus is kind. When we drift, He calls us back.”
Millo looked relieved. “So if we have only given Him crumbs, we can still come back?”
“Oh yes,” said Joppa. “We can always come back.”
Millo looked again at the crumbs on the blanket.
“I do not want to give Jesus my leftovers,” he said. “I want to give Him my best yes.”
Joppa smiled widely. “That is what following Him looks like.”
Millo flapped his little wings happily.
“Then today,” he said, “I will listen better, love better, and remember that Jesus is the One I want to follow.”
Joppa lowered her head kindly. “And when we forget, we can ask Him to help us begin again.”
The two friends sat quietly under the tree for a moment.
The dry crumbs still lay on the blanket.
But now Millo understood something important:
Jesus did not want tiny leftovers from his heart.
Jesus wanted his love,
his trust,
his attention,
and his willing steps.
Not just crumbs.
But a whole-hearted yes.
Reflection Question
Am I giving Jesus my whole heart, or only little leftovers?
Memory Verse
“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said.
— Matthew 4:19
Little Prayer of Repentance
Dear Jesus, forgive me for the times I give You only leftovers instead of my whole heart. Help me listen to You, trust You, and follow You with joy. Thank You for loving me and helping me begin again when I forget. Amen.