Melvin and His Amazing Magical Box

When Snowball heard her name called, she did not know whether to be excited or scared. Snowball really wanted to have the Magic Box and bring it back to Sunday school, but she was also very shy. She did not know whether she could really talk in front of other people or not, but she was pretty sure that she was happy that she had the box. She took it home, but she did not know what she wanted to put in the box.
That night, Snowball slept with the box. She took it to bed with her, put her arm around it, grabbed her special blanket, and said her prayers. In her prayers that night she said, “Thank you, God, that I have the Magic Box. Please help me to decide what I can put in the box for next Sunday. And please help me be brave enough to talk in Sunday school and tell Gertrude and Melvin about what I put in the box. Please bless Mommy and Daddy and all my friends. Amen.”
Snowball had to decide. Should she put a doll in the box? Or a Bible? Or a flower? One day she would decide one thing, but the next day she would change her mind. All week long, Snowball tried to decide. By Saturday night, she did not know what she would put in the box. But she knew she had to decide by Sunday morning.
When Snowball woke up, she knew what to put in the box. She put it in the box and headed toward Sunday school. When she got there, Melvin met her at the door. “What did you bring? What did you bring?” Melvin cried out. “I can hardly wait to see what you brought.
What is in the box? What, what, what? Show me. Show me. Show me.”
Melvin was so excited and wild-sounding that Snowball could not even answer him. She just said, “Umm…umm…umm.” She was too shy to say anything to him.
Finally Gertrude came into the room. She sang some songs with everyone. Then she said a prayer. Next she looked at Snowball and said, “Snowball, did you bring the Magic Box?”
All Snowball could say was, “Uh-huh.”
“And shall we all look in the box and see what is there?”
“Uh-huh,” said Snowball.
Melvin blurted out, “I think I know what is in the Box. I know, I know, I know! Snowball brought her favorite doll. I know. I know. I know.”
Slowly, Gertrude opened the box and looked inside. Then she pulled out of the box… Snowball’s special blanket.
Gertrude said, “Snowball, can you tell us about this blanket?”
All Snowball could say was, “Uh-huh.”
Gertrude was very wise. She knew that this blanket was very special to Snowball and that it always helped her feel brave and secure. So she said, “Thank you, Snowball, for bringing your very special blanket to share with us. Would you like to hold your blanket while we talk?”
Snowball grabbed the blanket, looked at Gertrude, took a deep breath and said, “Yes, thank you.”
Melvin was surprised. He said, “Wow, Snowball, I never heard you talk in class before. Your blanket must help you feel very brave.”
Snowball replied, “Yes, it does.”
Gertrude said, “Let’s look at your blanket more closely. Can you hold it up for us to see?”
Even though she was very shy, Snowball actually stood up in front of the whole class and held up her blanket for everyone to see. It was more than just a blanket; it was a handmade quilt. On one side of it was a very cute pattern with pictures of little cats of all sizes and colors. When Snowball held it up, all the kids in class saw the cute kitty cats and said, “Oooh, how cute.” On the other side of the quilt was a heart. Gertrude said, “Let me read what it says inside the heart. It says, ‘From our hands and from our hearts. This quilt is made especially for Snowball the Black Cat. As you are wrapped in this quilt, may you always know how God’s love surrounds you. Made with love, from your church family.’”
Gertrude asked, “Snowball, did your church give you this quilt?”
Snowball was getting braver and she said, “Yes. They gave it to me when I was baptized. It is my favorite blanket. Whenever I have it with me, I feel all the love of my friends in the church. Because they love me, I know that God loves me as well. When I have my blanket with me, I always feel extra brave and not so scared.”
All of a sudden, all the children were talking at once. One after the other, they were saying, “I have a blanket from the church also,”“I love mine too,” “I have a blanket like yours too.”
Melvin was excited. “Wow, Snowball, that is really, really cool. I have a blanket from the church also. Because you have that blanket, you are reminded of how much your friends in the church love you. And that helps you remember how much God loves you. Wow. That is really cool. Now I love my own church blanket even more.”
Gertrude said, “The Magic Box worked again. We have already learned something about God. All of us know that God loves us very much. But when the people around us show us how much they love us, it helps us remember God’s love as well. A church is a very special place, filled with people who love us. And do you know what, Snowball? God will always love you and help you be brave, even when your blanket is not with you. Thanks for being so brave today and for sharing your blanket with us.”