God is Glorious
Once upon a time there was a family of birds that lived in a tree by a park. There was a Dada Bird, a Mama Bird, and the little birds: Duff, Puff, Gruff, Ruff & Tuff, and Fluff. When the little birds woke up in the morning they found Dada Bird in the kitchen making pancakes. Duff was so excited that he jumped up in his chair and exclaimed, “Dada Bird, you make the best pancakes in the whole world!”
Dada bird just smiled and sang, “Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God, forever!”
Duff smiled and liked the song, but he wondered what it meant. As the other birds came into the kitchen Dada bird told them that today was the day for the “Annual Little Animal Contest.”
“This afternoon you will get to compete to get to see who is the mightiest, the smartest, and the best artist of all the little animals. So, after breakfast you must all practice to do your best,” he said.
The little birds were very excited and got ready as fast as they could. For lunch Mama Bird made the little birds’ favorite food: macaroni and cheese. Puff was excited and said, “Mama Bird, thank you so much for this lunch. You make the best macaroni and cheese ever!”
Mama bird just smiled and sang, “Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God, forever.”
Puzzled, Puff asked, “Mama, what does ‘glory to God’ mean?”
“It means that we give credit to God for anything good that we have or anything that we can do. Everything that we have has been given to us by God. And anything that we can do is because God created us with the ability to do it. So, we give God all the credit. He gets the glory for that mac & cheese you love so much, “ she replied. Puff smiled and shoved a big spoonful of mac & cheese into her mouth.
At the park, all the animals of the wood were set up for the “Annual Little Animal Contest.” At the judges table sat Charlie the Bear, Harold the Horse, and one of Harold’s friends from the farm: Maria the Chicken. When Charlie the Bear announced the beginning of the contest, all the little animals lined up. Along with the little birds were Squeeker the Squirrel, Roscoe the Racoon, Muchacho the Mole, some ducks from the lake, and even a little bear.
The first contest was all about strength. Harold put three different sized rocks in front of the animals. He had each animal try to lift the smallest rock. Everyone was able to do it except for the little birds. Then Harold had them lift the middle-sized rock. The only two that could lift it were the little bear, and, to everyone’s surprise, Muchacho the Mole!
Finally, he told them to lift the largest rock. Who do you think won the contest? It was Muchcaho! Everyone cheered for him as Charlie called him to the judges table to receive his ribbon. From now on, Charlie exclaimed, “You will be called ‘Mighty Muchcaho.’”
The next contest was about brains. “Let’s see who is the smartest little animal,” shouted Harold. He then gave each of the little animals a piece of paper and a crayon and said, “Please spell ‘cat.’” Each little animal wrote, C – A – T on their paper and held it up. Harold smiled as said, “Correct! Now please spell ‘cape.’” This time only Squeeker, Puff, and Duff got the answer correct. It was time for the final round. Harold commanded, “Please spell ‘flapjack.’”
Each of the remaining animals looked puzzled and began writing on their pieces of paper. Duff held his up first. Harold responded, “I’m sorry Duff, but that is not correct. You are out of the contest.”
Next, Puff held up her answer. “No, I’m sorry, Puff. That’s not it either. How about you Squeeker?
Squeeker held his up sheepishly. Harold looked intently and said, “F-L-A P-J-A-C-K, flapjack! You are correct!” Everyone went wild as Squeeker walked to the judges table to receive his ribbon. “From now on”, Harold exclaimed, “we will call you ‘Smart Squeeker.’”
The final competition was about creativity. Maria the Chicken passed out some paper, paint brushes, and paint of every color to each little animal. Then she said, “Please paint a picture of something beautiful. The animal with the best painting will win the prize.”
After the little animals finished their paintings, they each held them up to be viewed by the judges. Charlie, Harold, and Maria looked over each picture and discussed who should be the winner. Maria finally stood up, smiled, and declared “This year’s winner of the artist contest is Puff!”
The whole crowd of animals cheered as Puff received her ribbon. Then Maria exclaimed, “From now on we will call you, “Pretty Puff!”
At the end of the contest Charlie told everyone to come back the next day for a special celebration of the winners.
That night as Dada Bird was putting the little birds down for bed He told them a story from God’s book. He described a time when a man named John saw God in heaven sitting on His throne. “He was surrounded by thousands of angels who were worshipping Him. There were amazing creatures there, a glass sea, and a rainbow around His throne. God is the most beautiful person ever. He is also the most powerful. Lightning and thunder filled the scene causing everyone to be in awe. They were all amazed at His power, knowledge, and beauty. In fact, any strength, knowledge, and beauty that we have is just a reflection of His. That is why we praise Him.” Then Dada Bird sang, “Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God, forever!” as the little birds drifted off to sleep.
The next day, all the animals gathered together at the park for the big celebration. There were streamers, balloons, yummy snacks, and even a cake for everyone to share. Charlie the Bear announced this year’s winners and everyone cheered. Mighty Muchacho, Smart Squeeker, and Pretty Puff were very proud. However, Puff was feeling like something was wrong. They were receiving all the glory for things that God had given them.
So, she waived her wings in the air signaling for everyone to stop cheering. Then she shouted, “Wait, wait, we are receiving praise for being strong, smart, and beautiful, but it is God who gave us these abilities. He should be the one to receive the glory. Then she started to sing, “Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God forever!”
Soon all the animals joined in on the worship. Then God looked down on them and smiled.
The End