Episode 5: The Boy Who Played a Prank
Weekly Reading: Chapter 5
This was an exciting chapter, wasn’t it?!
When you started reading, did you think that Annie Ingalls was going to end up dangling from a rope against a starry night sky? And all just to keep a promise to her mother.
We all can remember a time when we’ve made a promise, but not too many of us would go to such great lengths to keep a promise. What would you have done if you were in Annie’s shoes?
Now, let’s think for a minute about our little tale…
This certainly isn’t the first time Kelly pranked Annie. He did try to weigh her as if she were a bag of flour. Then, he told her that Farmer Dodkin’s bull was big and scary and would come after her if she walked past him. It would be very frightening to walk past a bull and imagine it bursting through the fence to attack you. Yet Annie remembered the Scriptures she had read that morning, and it helped her to not feel so scared.
But then, something scary does happen. Annie runs upstairs to fetch Kelly’s hat, wanting to show kindness to him, and finds herself locked in! The sound of Kelly’s laugh outside the door reveals that he intentionally locked her in the room—as another one of his thoughtless pranks. Annie tries to remain calm and patient, but the sun starts to set lower and lower…she promised mother she would be home before dark!
Then, the horrible moment. Annie watches Kelly drive off in a wagon with Mr. Hilger. She can’t believe her eyes! Tears fill the little girl’s eyes as she realizes she has been forgotten. Who knows how long she would be stuck in that room? Poor Annie. She shared her berries, spoke kind words to Kelly, and even ran upstairs to get his hat. She certainly didn’t deserve this!
Sometimes when we try to do the right thing, bad things still happen. This can be really frustrating. If we are kind to people, we want them to be kind to us. But sadly, that’s not always the case. When people respond in this way, how do you think we should respond? Matthew 5:44 says,
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (emphasis added)
That’s a hard thing to do! Love our enemies?! It would be much easier to fight them. (Or ignore them.) How do we show love to them? The answer is found in Matthew 5:44: “bless,” “do good,” and “pray.”
Although some of us may not battle actual “enemies,” we all face situations where people are being unkind. During those times, instead of getting upset, crying, or responding in anger, we can think of this verse and bless, do good, and pray for our “enemies.” This can help us to actually love them—and see them the way Jesus does. Then, not only do we please Jesus, but we are filled with great joy ourselves!
“But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!” (Psalm 68:3)
Isn’t that beautiful?!
Annie certainly seems to be filled with great joy wherever she goes! This is because she spends time with Jesus and asks for him to help her show love to those around her. When Kelly greedily eats her blackberries, she doesn’t slap his hand and say, “No!” She is thankful he enjoys them and then agrees to run upstairs to retrieve his cap—that’s “doing good.” When Kelly locks her into the room, Annie doesn’t yell angrily at Kelly and stomp her feet. She takes a moment to kneel down and pray for Kelly to be a good boy—that’s “blessing” him.
Although Kelly pretends not to notice these kind actions, he can’t help but notice that there is something different about Annie Ingalls. It’s something that compels her to pray for him and act with kindness. It fills her with joy and gently tells her to bless him. What she has helps her bravely and boldly jump out the window to keep a promise.
Now, without further delay, let’s read chapter six and find out what happens next to Annie Ingalls!
Weekly Activity
In the opening of today’s chapter, we see Annie getting ready to go blackberry picking. Have you ever been berry-picking? If so, write a short story or poem describing your experience. If you have never picked berries before, I want you to close your eyes and imagine that you are about to go berry picking right now. How do you imagine it?
Not sure where to start? Here are a few questions to get your creative juices flowing:
What was the weather like when you went berry-picking?
How did it smell outside when you were picking berries?
How did you feel? Happy, excited, surprised, or maybe another emotion?
Did you bring friends or family with you?
What did you do with the berries once you returned home?
Memory Verse
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
Matthew 5:44
Study Guide Questions for Chapter 5:
Kelly Nash:
The Boy Who Didn’t Think
Every week there will be a reading assignment. So if you don’t have one already, be sure to purchase your very own copy of the book!
