Josh McDowell's Youth DevotionsSample

THE LITTLE PRINCESS. Once upon a time there was a little princess. This princess was unhappy because, although she was a princess, she was not very pretty to look at. One day as the little princess sat crying in the garden of her palace, an old woman came by. The woman's back was crooked, her hair was gray, and her fingers were gnarled with age. She asked the princess why she was crying. "Because I am homely. I will never be beautiful." The woman laid a sympathetic hand on the girl's shoulder. "Why don't you go out into your kingdom and find someone who can make you beautiful?" And with those words of advice, the old woman walked away. The little princess decided to follow the woman's advice and started off to look for someone who could make her beautiful. Before she had gone very far, she saw a boy who had stumbled on the road and was struggling to get up. The princess rushed to his side and helped him up. It was then she realized that he was blind. "Where are you going?" she asked. When the boy told her that he was trying to find his way home, the princess decided her search could wait. She walked with the blind boy until they had found his home. The princess started on her way again. Soon she saw a little girl crying by the side of the road. The princess asked what was wrong. "My mother is sick and has sent me to buy some milk and eggs for her. But because I have no money, I cannot buy any for her," the little girl said, sobbing. The princess dug in her little purse. She had only two pieces of gold, but she gave one to the girl whose mother was sick. "Here," she said. "Now you can buy your mother some milk and eggs." The girl dried her tears and thanked the princess. She then ran off to the store, laughing and singing. The princess started on her way again, but soon she saw the old woman again. "I have not found anyone to make me beautiful," she told the woman. "Oh, but you have!" the woman answered. She lifted a little mirror before the princess's face. "Your kindness has made you beautiful not only to the children you helped, but to others as well!" And the little princess saw that her words were true! REFLECT: What did the little princess's kindness do for her? Do you think kindness can really make people more attractive? Why or why not? Being kind benefits the person you're kind to, but it also benefits you. What are some other ways being kind can benefit you? PRAY: "Kind and loving God, show me the blessings of kindness today as I try to be kind to others."