Ashlyn and the Chrysolite Stone
Scripture:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
— Galatians 5:22–23
Opening Prayer
Dear Jesus,
Sometimes words hurt our hearts.
Sometimes people say things about us that are not true.
Sometimes we become angry and want to hurt them back.
Please wash our hearts with Your Love.
Help us remember who You say we are.
And teach us to use the beautiful gift of self-control.
Amen.
One afternoon, Ashlyn walked alone beside a little stream near the meadow.
Usually she loved exploring.
She liked watching dragonflies skim across the water and listening to birds sing from the branches.
But Today Ashlyn did not notice any of those things.
Her head was down.
Her shoulders were drooping.
And her heart felt heavy.
Some children had been talking about her.
One had whispered something that was not true.
Another repeated it.
Then another laughed.
Soon Ashlyn felt as though everyone was looking at her differently.
She wanted to shout:
“That isn’t true!”
She wanted to say something mean back.
She even thought of a few things she could say that would hurt them just as badly.
Then she kicked at the dirt.
SPLAT!
Something rolled out of the mud.
Ashlyn bent down.
It looked like an ugly little stone.
Brown.
Sticky.
Completely covered with dirt.
Ashlyn picked it up.
“Well,” she sighed, “you look like I feel.”
Just then, she heard familiar footsteps.
The Lion was walking toward her.
His golden mane moved gently in the breeze.
Ashlyn quickly wiped her eyes.
But the Lion already knew.
He always knew.
He sat beside her.
“What did you find?” He asked.
Ashlyn held out the muddy stone.
“Nothing special.”
The Lion looked at it carefully.
“Are you certain?”
Ashlyn shrugged.
“It’s just dirty.”
The Lion smiled.
“Then perhaps we should wash it.”
They walked to the stream.
The Lion placed the stone beneath the clear water.
Mud began running away.
Brown water swirled downstream.
Slowly, something underneath began to shine.
Ashlyn leaned closer.
The Lion washed it again.
And again.
Until suddenly—
Ashlyn gasped.
The stone sparkled in the sunlight.
Green.
Golden.
Bright.
Beautiful.
“It was underneath all that mud?” Ashlyn asked.
The Lion nodded.
“The mud changed what you could see.”
“But it didn’t change the stone,” Ashlyn whispered.
“No,” the Lion said.
Ashlyn became very quiet.
She knew He was not talking only about the stone.
The Lion looked gently at her.
“Words can sometimes behave like mud.”
Ashlyn looked up.
“Mean words?”
“Yes.”
“Gossip?”
“Yes.”
“Lies?”
“Yes.”
“Slander?”
“Yes.”
Ashlyn looked back at the sparkling stone.
“They can cover what we see.”
The Lion nodded.
“But they cannot change what I created.”
Ashlyn’s eyes filled with tears.
“They said things about me that weren’t true.”
“I know.”
“I wanted to say things back.”
“I know that too.”
Ashlyn frowned.
“Does self-control mean I have to pretend I’m not angry?”
The Lion shook His great mane.
“No, little one.”
Ashlyn listened carefully.
“Self-control does not mean pretending nothing happened. It means you do not let anger choose what you do next.”
Ashlyn thought about that.
“So I can tell the truth?”
“Yes.”
“I can ask for help?”
“Yes.”
“I can walk away?”
“Yes.”
“I can say, ‘Please stop’?”
“Absolutely.”
Ashlyn looked at the stone again.
“But I don’t have to throw mud back.”
The Lion smiled.
“Now you understand.”
The Lion placed the beautiful stone in Ashlyn’s hand.
“This reminds me of chrysolite.”
“Chryso-what?”
The Lion chuckled.
“Chrysolite. A beautiful gemstone named in Scripture.”
Ashlyn held it toward the sunlight.
“It looks strong.”
“It is beautiful,” said the Lion. “And I want you to remember something whenever anger rises inside you.”
Ashlyn waited.
“Self-control is not weakness.”
The Lion placed His paw gently beside her.
“It is strength that has learned to listen before acting.”
Ashlyn smiled.
“So it is like a treasure?”
“Yes.”
“A gift?”
“Yes.”
“Even if it feels small?”
“Especially then.”
Ashlyn remembered everything she had wanted to say.
She looked at the stone.
Then at the Lion.
“I think I need a Sacred Pause.”
The Lion smiled.
“I think that is very wise.”
Sacred Pause
Ashlyn sat beside the stream.
She placed the chrysolite-colored stone in her lap.
Then she took a slow breath.
She did not pretend the words had not hurt.
She did not pretend she was not angry.
She paused.
Then she prayed:
“Lion, please help me choose what comes next.”
And in the quiet, something changed.
The anger was still there.
But it was no longer driving.
Ashlyn remembered:
A Sacred Pause gives Love time to speak before anger acts.
She took another breath.
Then another.
And the Lion stayed beside her.
Later, Ashlyn returned to the meadow.
The children were still there.
One girl looked nervous.
Another looked away.
Ashlyn’s heart started pounding.
For just a moment, she felt the old anger rise again.
So she stopped.
Sacred Pause.
Breathe.
Pray.
Remember.
Then Ashlyn spoke calmly.
“What you said about me wasn’t true, and it hurt me. Please don’t repeat it.”
She did not yell.
She did not insult anyone.
She did not throw mud back.
Then she walked toward Joppa, Millo, Mahle, and Rafi-Owl, who had been waiting nearby.
Millo fluttered onto a branch.
“That looked difficult.”
“It was,” Ashlyn admitted.
Mahle smiled.
“But you did it.”
Ashlyn looked down at the sparkling stone in her hand.
“No,” she said softly.
“The Lion helped me.”
From across the meadow, the Lion watched.
And Ashlyn understood something she would remember for a very long time:
Mud can cover a treasure.
But mud cannot change what the treasure is.
Neither can gossip.
Neither can lies.
Neither can betrayal.
Neither can cruel words.
The Lion knows what He created.
And sometimes self-control is the beautiful gift that keeps someone else’s mud from becoming ours.
Prayer of Repentance
Dear Jesus,
Forgive me for the times I have thrown hurtful words back when someone hurt me.
Forgive me when anger became more important than kindness.
Forgive me when I repeated gossip or believed something before knowing the truth.
Please wash my heart.
Help me speak truth without being cruel.
Help me forgive without pretending that wrong things are right.
And strengthen the gift of self-control in me.
Amen.
Today’s Prayer
Jesus,
When hurtful words cover my heart like mud, remind me that You still see me.
Wash away the lies.
Wash away the shame.
Wash away the anger that wants to hurt someone back.
Help me take a Sacred Pause.
Help me breathe.
Help me pray.
Help me choose.
And when I forget who I am, remind me:
I am still Your treasure.
Make self-control strong in me, like a beautiful stone formed to reflect Your light.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Remember
A Sacred Pause gives Love time to speak before anger acts.
And:
Mud may cover the treasure, but it cannot change what the treasure is.
Scripture References
Galatians 5:22–23
James 1:19–20
Proverbs 16:32
Psalm 139:13–14
John 8:32
Revelation 21:20
AI assistance helped shape and organize this children’s reflection. The spiritual message, characters, and final discernment remain with the author.