Children Moral Short Stories | Funny Kids, Bible, Inspirational Stories

BELIEF AND RELIEF

>> 21 January 2008

Kunjunni was a great poet of Kerala. One of his short poems is:

"Yesuvil aanente viswasam; Keesayil aanente aswasam."

This may be translated as:

"In Jesus is my BELIEF; In my purse is my RELIEF."

A wealthy old man was on his deathbed. His personal doctor had earned much money by providing him expensive but unnecessary treatment. His lawyer also used to rob him by dragging him into unnecessary issues and providing expensive legal advice. The old man was aware of their actions. He summoned both the doctor and the lawyer to his deathbed and asked them to stand on either side of the bed. "I wish to die like Jesus", he said, reminded of the death of Jesus on the cross in between two thieves. The two persons in the story may be exceptions to their professions, as we find several doctors and lawyers who provide dedicated service, in tune with the whisper of their conscience.

"Many people have been ruined because of money, brought face to face with disaster. Money is a trap for those who are fascinated by it, a trap that every fool falls into"{Sirach 31:6,7}.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

A TALE OF TWO ROBBERS

Two robbers were crossing a dense forest. On the way they saw a cave. Inside the cave, they found a vast collection of jewellery. It was a treasure house of other robbers. They decided to steal the treasure, but could not find suitable bags or sacks to carry the jewellery. So one of them went to the neighbouring village to fetch sacks and food. The other robber guarded the cave. The first man collected food and sacks from the village and returned with food for his friend. On the way he thought that if he could kill his friend, he could have the whole treasure for himself. So he poisoned the food for his friend. The other man also made a similar plan to kill his friend when he arrived with food. The second robber hid himself and when his friend arrived, he sprang out of the bushes and killed him. Overjoyed at the idea of owning the whole treasure, he ate the food brought by his friend, not knowing that it was poisoned. Soon the second robber also fell down dead. Thus both of the greedy robbers lost their lives.

"It is better to have a little, honestly earned, than to have a large income gained dishonestly {Proverbs 16: 8}. Jesus taught us, "Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal"[Matthew 6:19, 20}.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

IMITATION OF CHRIST

Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) was a popular comedian in English Cinema. Once he saw the advertisement for a competition. The competitors were to dress and act like Charlie Chaplin before an audience. The best actors would get attractive prizes. Just for fun, the original actor also registered as a competitor in a different name. The result of the show was announced. The original Charlie Chaplain got only the SECOND PRIZE. Some one else had imitated his style better!

In Kuttanad in Kerala, people depend on boats to travel through the extensive inland waters. A person by name Joseph bought a boat for his personal use and labeled it as 'St. Joseph'. His friend, Mr. Thomas bought a boat and named it, 'St. Thomas'. Later, their neighbour, a non-Christian, Mr. Gopalakrishnan bought a boat. Imitating his neighbours, he painted on his boat, in large letters, its name as 'St. Gopalakrishnan'!

It is a human nature to imitate others. We develop our personality by accepting features of different persons. It is said, "Stealing from a single source is theft, but stealing from several sources is research!" But we must be sure to copy only the good characters from others.

St. Paul says, "Imitate me, then, just as I imitate Christ"{1 Corinthians 11: 1}. He added, "The attitude that you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had"{Philippians 2:5}.

Jesus said, "I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you" {John 13: 15}. Jesus advised, "So a pupil should be satisfied to become like his teacher"{Matthew 10: 25}.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

A LOVING LIFT

A man was driving his car to the town. On the way he saw a poor old man carrying a heavy load on his head. The sympathetic driver offered the old man a lift in his car to the town. The old man was very happy and thankfully entered the car and occupied the back seat. Turning back the driver was surprised to see him still carrying the load on his head. When asked he said," What you did to me is enough and more. I don't want to trouble you further by adding the load also to your car."
Many of us travel with God like that old man still carrying our sins on our head. Let us unload our sins before His Grace and feel free.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

THE IDIOTIC DONKEY

There is a story about the young donkey that got the unique opportunity to carry Jesus Christ on its back, during the Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

The donkey was overjoyed and proud during that journey because he thought that all the praises, 'Hosanas 'and excitement of the crowd were directed towards him.

The donkey could not sleep that night thinking of the grand reception he got.Next day morning, the donkey went 'alone' through the same streets expecting a similar royal reception.

But the children who waved palm leaves the day before made fun of the donkey .He was beaten up and dumped into a ditch. Lying there with broken legs, he might have thought about the reason for this difference in reception.

"Without GOD, we are mere ZEROES
With GOD, we are real HEROES"

Let us work with Jesus. Then our mission will be a grand success. If we work without Jesus, proud of our own capabilities, with the intention of gaining fame, power or money, our works will fail and we will be left in a lamentable state like the idiotic donkey that marched alone and landed in a ditch.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

A MISERABLE MISER

A miser amassed a lot of jewellery. He refused to spend even for the basic needs of his family. He was afraid to keep the ornaments in his house. He dug a pit near a tall tree, placed the ornaments in the pit and covered it with soil. Every night after everyone slept, he would silently reach the spot, dig out his treasure and enjoy fondling it.

One day, a very poor man, finding no means to live, decided to commit suicide. He carried a rope with him and reached the spot where the treasure was concealed with the intention of hanging himself from the tree nearby. He made a noose in the rope and got ready to hang himself from the tree. Suddenly he felt the softness of the fresh soil under his feet. Surprised, he dug out the mud and was delighted to find the treasure. Abandoning the rope there, he happily walked away with the treasure.

That night, as usual, the miser reached the place and searched for his treasure. Finding that it was lost, he was terribly shocked. With a broken heart he turned around and saw the rope left by the poor man. Using that rope, he hanged himself from the tree and ended his life; unable to use the wealth he had amassed.

Lord Jesus taught us the correct attitude to wealth during his meeting with the rich, young man who was reluctant to sacrifice his wealth to follow Jesus. We find it in Matthew-19 (16-30), Mark-10 (17-31) and Luke-18 (18-30). Let us follow the Christian principles of love without condition, service without compulsion, sacrifice without calculation and suffering without complaint. Like the early Christians we must be DARING, CARING and SHARING – daring to faithfully follow the teachings of Jesus, caring for the poor and ready to share our resources with the needy.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

PASSION FOR FASHION

>> 19 January 2008

A man was in a queue for a ticket in a railway station. The person in his front was neatly dressed in pants and shirt. To start a conversation, he told the person in the front, "Did you notice that boy near the window? He has no manners." The person in the front corrected him, "Hey, That is not a boy. She is my daughter."
The man at the back apologized, "I am sorry, sir, I did not know that you were her father."
The response from the front was sharp,
"What nonsense! ...I am not her father. I am her mother!"

The story reveals the increasing passion for fashion shown by people of all age groups today. Ladies dressed like men are quite common. Men with long hair and feminine attire are also seen. People darken the hair and whiten the face to conceal the gifts of nature. The use of cosmetics has increased tremendously. A large number of potentially harmful and dangerous chemicals have been detected in many popular cosmetics by experiments.

It is a good habit to be clean and healthy and to wear neat dress, but over-indulgence in cosmetics and fashion is harmful to the health of the body, mind and soul.

The true purpose of clothing should be remembered. St. Paul reminds the Corinthians, "Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God; He bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God's glory"{1 Corinthians 6:19,20}.

St. Peter advises against the use of outward aids to make one beautiful, such as hair-make-up, jewellery, or dresses: "Instead your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight"{1 Peter 3: 3,4}.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

The More You Give…

The more you give, the more you get
The more you laugh, the less you fret.

The more you do unselfishly
The more you live abundantly.

The more of everything you share,
The more you'll always have to spare.

The more you love, the more you'll find
That life is good and friends are kind.

For only what we give away,
Enriches us from day to day.

GOD VALUES SMALL THINGS

Once, a large crowd of people was listening to the teachings of Jesus. He knew that they were hungry and wanted to feed them. He wanted their co-operation to do a miracle. The Apostles and other elders could not offer anything to Jesus. Then a small boy willingly offered to Jesus, the five loaves of bread and two fish, which he had brought with him from home, for his meal. Jesus gladly accepted the boy's humble offering, blessed it and multiplied it to feed thousands miraculously {John 6: 1-14}.

Jesus taught that the two little copper coins offered by the poor widow with her full heart were more valuable than the lots of money offered by the rich men. {Luke 21:1-4, Mark 12:41-44}. Small children may not be able to do what the elders can. Let us offer to Jesus the little things we have and the humble acts we do. He will gladly receive them and reward us.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

A PROUD PREACHER

A proud preacher rushed to a boat-jetty to catch a boat to cross the Vembanad Lake in Kerala, India. He was a bit late and the boat had just left the shore. He could not wait for the next boat as he was in a great hurry to address a convention. So he hired an old country boat and asked the boatman to row fast.

On the way, he asked the old boatman, "Do you know philosophy?" "What is that?"' asked the old man. "I have a degree in philosophy. It helps me to reason everything logically." Later he asked the boatman," Have you heard of psychology?" "No", said the poor man. "I have a master's degree in it. It makes me a very effective counsellor", he boasted. Next, he asked, "Have you heard of theology?" "I haven't heard of it", admitted the boatman. "It is the systematic study of God and religious truth and I have a Doctorate in theology. That makes my speeches authoritative", asserted the arrogant preacher.

It was then that the boatman noticed that water was entering the boat through a crack on its deck. He tried his best to plug the hole, but failed. He asked the preacher, "Do you know swimmology?" "What is that," asked the frantic preacher. " It is the science of swimming. Without knowing it you are doomed!" said the boatman. " My God, I do not know swimming, help me!" he cried out. The boat overturned and they fell into the water. With great difficulty, the old man rescued the preacher and carried him to the shore. Lying there, like Jonah vomited out of the fish, he realized that pride goes before a fall.

"Arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected" {Proverbs 29: 23}. "Happy are those who are humble; they will receive what God has promised!" {Matthew 5: 5}.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

A LESSON FROM THE LIZARDS AND CRABS

Three lizards were resting upside-down sticking to the roof of a room. One of them fell down accidentally. A few seconds later, the other two lizards also fell down. Why? This is a silly question often asked to kids to entertain and enlighten them. The expected funny answer is as follows:

The lizard is held tightly to the supporting surface even against gravity by operating the special structure of the palms. On seeing the fall of their friend, the two lizards laughed at him and enjoyed his fall by clapping their hands. This abolished their contact with the roof and they fell down flat!

Crabs captured from water are often transported in open cages. A lid is not needed, as any crab trying to rise to the top to escape will be quickly caught and dragged back to the bottom by the other crabs in the cage.

How do we react when others fall or try to rise? Are we stepping-stones or stumbling-blocks for the progress of others? Jesus taught us the language of love for inter personal relationship, communication and evangelization. Even the blind, the deaf and the mentally retarded can perceive love.

In the book of Genesis, we read that Cain killed his brother. God asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” Cain answered, “I don’t know. Am I supposed to take care of my brother?” (Genesis 4: 8,9.).

Like the Good Samaritan, let us render a helping hand to the helpless people around us. Otherwise we will be cursed like Cain.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

THE LAZY CROW

The summer was very hot. Water was scarce. A thirsty crow searched for water everywhere. At last she found a little of water in a tall pot made of clay. She could not reach the water to drink. She was worried. Then she remembered the story of the wise crow that gathered small pebbles and dropped them patiently into the water in a pot. This raised the water level and then he could drink it easily. But this crow was very lazy to collect a lot of small pebbles. She did not have the patience to follow the wise crow. So she lifted a large piece of rock with great effort and dropped it into the pot. The pot broke with a loud noise. All the water was lost. The lazy crow remained thirsty and flew away in shame. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop!”

We read in the Holy Bible, “Lazy people are no better than dung; they are repulsive, and no one wants to get near them”{Sirach 22:1,2}. St. Paul says, “Whoever refuses to work is not allowed to eat” {2 Thessalonians 3: 10}.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

A TALE OF TWO PARROTS

An old lady was tired of her daughter-in-law’s frequent attacks using abusive words. The young lady had a pet parrot, which repeated these foul words whenever the old woman came near. This intensified her agony.

The worried old woman sought the help of the parish priest. He gave her his own pet parrot, trained to recite only prayers and holy words. He asked her to keep his parrot in a cage, close to the parrot at home. He hoped that the lady’s parrot would learn some good words from his pet and would forget the words of curse forever. Overjoyed, the old woman followed the vicar’s instructions.

The next morning, when the old woman approached the cages for feeding the pets, the domestic parrot repeated the usual words of curse, “Let the old fool go to hell.” Then the priest’s parrot added, “God, hear this prayer.”

We cannot transform a fallen friend by our passive presence alone. But God can work wonders with His grace and our earnest efforts in His name.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

A LESSON FROM MEDICINE

Every doctor uses the stethoscope to analyze the sounds made in the living body. At the end of a course in medicine, the Professor asked the medical students, "What is the most important part of a stethoscope?" The students gave a variety of answers-the diaphragm, tube, earpieces, etc. Then he gave the correct answer- "The crucial part of a stethoscope is the space in between the two ear-pieces - that is, the brain of the Doctor!"

The sharpness of the doctor's brain determines the accuracy of the analysis and the reliability of the diagnosis.

We may use different tools for our sanctification-the churches, retreat centres, pilgrimages, conventions etc. But the most important component in transformation is - OURSELF.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

THE LAST COACH

>> 18 January 2008

Railways were introduced for the first time in a developing country. The authorities were worried about the frequent accidents in the railways. They appointed an expert committee to enquire about the accidents. The committee reported that in most of the accidents it was the last coach in trains that suffered the maximum damage. Based on the report an order was issued by the authorities that the last coaches of all trains should be removed with immediate effect.

The story illustrates the futility of attempts to solve our problems without an accurate analysis of the basic defect in us, which has to be corrected for a lasting solution to the basic problem.

By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit the web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Back to TOP