On a shelf in a little boy’s room sat one of his greatest works of art. It was a simple sculpture of a penguin he made in Kindergarten. The craft was grateful for the boy’s love and hard work. It wasn’t perfect, but it was made with love.
As the boy grew older, dust started to collect on the sculpture. He added new prized possessions on the shelf including many gold-colored trophies from the many sports he played in his youth.
These trophies were very fond of themselves. They often bragged to one another about how great they were.
“My gold is so shiny and bright,” said a golden baseball player swinging a bat.
“Not as shiny as me,” retorted a golden glove.
“Yes, but my texture looks like real gold,” responded the football trophy.
The penguin sculpture was very quiet. It did not brag. It held onto the memory of the joy the little boy showed in his face when his mother placed the creation on the shelf.
The boy grew older and became a young man. He added many other trophies and medals to the shelf and each one bragged about how much better it looked than the others. They laughed at the penguin whispering many mean things about its imperfections.
Then one day the boy moved out. He had become a man. The room sat empty for a long time until the mother finally decided to clean it out.
She brought in boxes and packed up all of the boy’s possessions.
“Surely, the mother will place us in a much more prominent place in the house!” said the baseball trophy. “There is nothing more valuable than us!”
The other trophies and medals agreed.
But then the mother returned with another box. She piled each of the trophies on top of each other. “I wonder if he even wants to keep these,” she said to herself.
When she came to the penguin, she let out a sigh. “I love this penguin. He worked so hard on it,” she said picking it up to admire it.
“I couldn’t put you in a box,” she said to the sculpture. “You are going on my dresser.”
And there the penguin stayed for many more years. The mother smiled every time she looked at it, thinking of all the great memories of her son as a little boy.
“Help, Lord, for no one loyal remains; the faithful have vanished from the children of men. They tell lies to one another, speak with deceiving lips and a double heart.”
Psalm 12:1-2
“You, O Lord, protect us always; preserve us from this generation.”
Psalm 12:8
Reflection Questions
- Why did the trophies think they were better than the penguin sculpture?
- What are some people your age tempted to brag about to each other?
- What do you think God loves most about you?
Get More Psalm Stories & Formative Fiction Fables
To receive more stories like this one, sign up for the Formative Fiction Friday Newsletter. You can also read some of the other Psalm stories here:
