After getting to ride his new scooter with his brother, Joey, Tim was so excited to ride with him again. He hunted for his scooter. When he couldn’t find it he knew it was the same old problem, again. Who could help? He went to Joey’s room to ask him. He wasn’t there! Tim looked around and finally found it. At least it wasn’t stolen! Where was that brother anyway, it was almost time to go?! Joey was always borrowing things and never saying anything to Tim. Whenever Joey saw something new, that belonged to Tim, Joey always wanted to use it first.
Tim was anxious to get on and ride. After he found his scooter, he ran all the way upstairs again to Joey’s room, no Joey! He ran downstairs just to see Joey ride off with another boy and he was riding a scooter just like Tim’s! Joey wouldn’t…he just wouldn’t lend Tim’s things to someone else! No, he must be dreaming. There must be other kids with scooter’s like his. He was so downtrodden that he moped around all evening because he couldn’t go riding with Joey. “What am I going to do now?” he thought. This is wrong. He learned, in Sunday School, to share, not with begrudging feelings, but generously, with joy.
Tim went to see his brother, when he got back home, “You got to ride all evening,” he said . “Why didn’t you tell me you were going out with your friends?” Tim asked.
Joey just turned. “I thought you were busy,” he said.
Wasn’t it a scooter like mine that your friend was riding,” Tim asked his brother. In their
house they were taught to share their things, even with playmates. It shouldn’t make a
difference. Unless, anger about Tim not going when Joey wanted was the reason for the way Joey acted.
“If you say so, but I don’t know! Leave me alone!” Joey screamed, and he stomped off to
ride his scooter.
Tim turned and moped away again. “I will have to look for mine,” he declared. He went all around the garage, basement, and house. No scooter. He went next door to the neighbours’ and asked them if they had seen it. No one had a clue! “Now what am I to do?
Tim said. “I know”, so he bowed his head and prayed, “Lord, please help me find my scooter. It isn’t where I left it last, and only You can show me where it is. Thank you, in Jesus name, amen.” Tim knew he had put his scooter away with Joey’s the day before. He heard Joey come back. His brother wasn’t alone. He was with his friend, Mathew, and they were laughing together. He asked them what they were laughing about, but Mathew started to walk away.
Mathew put his head down and said, “Hey I got to go now. My mom wants me home for
supper.”
Joey turned to his brother, “I know you want to ride with me! I won’t have time,” Joey
declared.
Tim hung his head, now. He went outside and saw his scooter next to Joey’s, but didn’t want to ride alone. He had a lot of school work, then he remembered he told Joey he was was busy and didn’t have time to ride before school, the other day. How could he have been so wrong? Tim told Joey he would just have enough time to get to school. Then it would be off to bed early. It would cut homework time, bible reading, and prayer time. Tim didn’t want to cut out his time with God. Jesus was his friend. He loved his study time in the Word of God.
Tim now had a problem with getting his brother to ride with him. How would he do it, now? After supper, he went out for a walk to mull it over in his thoughts. He thought, “Joey
has never treated me like this before! Why is he doing it now?” He knew that each day after school Joey took his scooter and left with Mathew, but Mathew didn’t have a scooter! Tim found this interesting and it hit him, the other day someone had one that looked like his. Also, Joey was angry. “Maybe Lord, You have been showing me already!” Tim decided to follow them. He was going to do a little checking up on Joey.
Following them without being seen would be hard, but he started out one evening after the bell rang. Joey went behind his friend’s house and all of a sudden, out the scooter came! His brother had hidden it between Mathew’s shed and house, where no one could see it. He had chained it up there. Mathew came up to Joey so they could ride together. Then the two boys saw Tim coming towards them.
With fear in their eyes, they dropped both scooters and shouted “Run for it!” They ran for Mathew’s house.
Tim called after them, “Hey, wait, I want to know what’s going on?” He felt angry at Joey
for not telling him what they were doing. He wanted to scream at Joey like he had done