Running Chairs is walking home from school.  “Like I have no homework tonight.  But I do have, you know, to do my chores. But then, like after my chores are finished I will NOT have a Three Musketeers candy bar because it is like you know LENT and mommy says I can reward myself with a sweet after I finish my chores but I gave up candy for like you know Lent so that means no Three Musketeers today.  Like you know, not for the next (count on fingers) 37 days!  No chocolate candy.”

On Ash Wednesday Running Chairs decided to give up chocolate candy for the 40 days of Lent.  That will be a small way for her to honor the sacrifice that God has made for us. 

Walk, walk, walk!  Talk, talk, talk!  Running Chairs likes to talk to herself as she walks home from school.  And the whole time she is walking and talking, guess what she is thinking about?  A Three Musketeers Candy Bar.  She would REALLY, REALLY like to have a Three Musketeers Candy Bar.  But, no, she gave up chocolate candy for Lent.  So there!

And then suddenly, just as she went past this tree, it jumped right out in front of her!  AHHH!  A THREE MUSKETEERS CANDY BAR!  RIGHT THERE ON THE SNOW! 

Running Chairs looked around.  “Like, where did THAT come from!  Oh! And it is chocolate candy!”  She picked it up. . . . And she felt the wrapper. . . And she smelled it. . . 

Running Chairs was SO tempted to open that candy bar and eat it.   Ohhhhh!   It is SO HARD to resist the temptation.  After all, no one is here to see. 

”Like mommy would never even know! . . .  Oh, I guess, like, I made a promise and God would know.”

You might think that Running Chairs is just a silly, little, talkative horse, but she did something that required a lot of strength.  She stuffed that candy bar in the garbage can and quickly and silently walked directly home. 

Jesus was out in the wilderness for forty days.  He went there to pray, to honor his Father in Heaven.  And while he was there, for forty days, he fasted.  That means he did not eat any meals.  Fasting and prayer are a way to honor our God.

And then suddenly, just as Jesus went past this tree, he heard it!    AHHHH!  The devil!  And the devil whispered into his ear.  (because, you see, that is the only power the devil has, to whisper lies into your ear.) “Hey, like IF you really ARE the Son of God, I mean you ARE the Son of God aren’t you, that means you can perform a miracle.  I’ll bet you could change this stone into something nice, like, lets say . . . hmmmm, a loaf of bread!”

Bread!  And Jesus is SO HUNGRY from his fasting.  It is SO HARD to resist the temptation.  Bread would taste so good right now.  And of course, Jesus, truly being the Son of God, really COULD change that rock into bread.

But Jesus did something that required a lot of strength.  He said “One does not live by bread alone.”  And he resisted falling into the doubts the lying devil had whispered into his ear.

Running Chairs followed the example that Jesus has given to us.  She resisted the temptation to go back on her promise.  She resisted the temptation to think it would be okay to do wrong because “Who would know?  Not mommy.”

You and I must also resist the temptation to go back on our promises.  Because you see, the opportunity of temptation will come at a most inopportune time.      THE END

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