9 August | Kids
«Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.» Joel 2:13
In Biblical times, people had a strange custom when they were very sad, when something very bad happened, when they lost a loved one, when they were angry, and when they were regretful: they tore their clothes.
Tearing the garments meant that the person was suffering a lot. So, a sad and suffering person would put on rags, not fix his hair, and cry loudly until the sadness had passed.
When God’s messengers said that God was very sad because of disobedience, the people tore their clothes, wept and made promises. But few kept their promise.
So, God said that they should tear their hearts and not their garments. That meant to truly repent and not just pretend to repent.
Let’s practice!
Draw a heart and tear it in half. Pray to Jesus asking for you to truly repent every time you sin.