This was one of my favorite stories as a child. It made me so sad, yet as a six or seven year old, I would ask my sister to tell it to me again and again. I still remember it, decades later, and it still makes me sad!

I am re-sharing it here, with a little flavor!

Once upon a time, there was a Mama fish and her baby fish called Timmy. There was severe drought and the water in the lake they called home was receding, and there was barely any food for them to eat. How they longed for the rains!  

One day, Mama Fish looked at Timmy, and saw how frail he looked and knew that if she didn’t find something for him to eat immediately, he would die. So, she tacked him in a safe corner in the lake, while she went to look for food.

“Promise me that you will not eat any food that you see, especially if it looks really good, because it will be bait” pleaded Mama fish.

“Yes Mama, I promise” whispered Timmy

And off Mama swam away.

Timmy sat quietly, its little tummy growling and longing to see Mama bring home some yummy worms

And then, right in front of him, he saw the yummiest looking worm he had ever seen, as his tummy growled even louder. He looked away for a second, but could not stop thinking about the worm.

“Surely this is ok”, he thought to himself.

He remembered what Mama had said, but he was too hungry. He looked around and saw no threat. So, against Mama’s warning, he took a bite!

Above the lake, there was a loud…

 “Bingo! I got one” as the fisherman pulled him out of the water.

Meanwhile, Mama fish found some food and swam quickly back to the place where she had left Timmy and found that he was gone!

Mama wept bitterly for her baby.

This is the story about God and us. God wants to provide for us, and has a plan to address our needs, even amidst droughts and storms of life! But the devil throws in bait when we are most vulnerable. Sadly, we often fall for it, losing everything, and leaving God weeping for us.

Do you have a favorite childhood story that impacted you? would like to share?