A Fishy Tale by Steven Wilson
Text Version | Italian
Morah sat on the beach throwing pebbles into the sea. She was angry! Her parents were always telling her what to do and she was fed up with it. Determined never to obey them again, she flung her last pebble into the water and turned to leave.
No sooner had her pebble splashed down into the sea than the waters began to froth and foam. Huge waves rose and crashed onto the sand.
"Crumbs!" she shrieked spinning round. "I didn't throw it that hard!" But it hadn't been her pebble that had caused the water to react so violently. It had been the forty-foot fish that was at that very moment beached right in front of her.
Morah froze. She didn't like fish at the best of time and certainly not huge big ones that kept winking at her. She was wondering what she should do, when suddenly the huge fish began to retch. It was about to be sick and Morah was standing in the firing line. She dived for a nearby bush just in time as the fish gave one last heave and was sick all over the sand.
What a mess! There were seaweed and timbers, and old rags, and...and...and.... Morah rubbed her eyes. She could hardly believe what she saw. There in amongst all the debris was a...man! He was alive. He was covered in goo and bleached as white as a lamb. But he was alive!
The man staggered to his feet and the huge fish thrashed back into the sea.
The man was small with a tangled beard that was more seaweed than hair. His skin was wrinkled like a prune and he smelled horrible. "What a pong!" thought Morah, as she cupped her hand over her nose and sank lower behind the hedge. "How on earth did he end up inside a fish?"
She watched him pull a piece of driftwood from between his toes, clear the mucus from his eyes and ears, and struggle up the beach until he was gone.
She heaved a sigh of relief and climbed out from behind her bush to set off for home.
Although her thoughts were taken up by the strange events on the beach, she was still determined to tell her parents that she had decided not to do what they ask ever again.
"I've just seen him!" she heard her father's voice tell as she neared the house. "The same man that told us to throw him in the sea because he had angered his God. He said it would stop the storm. And it did!"
"Wow!" said Morah's mother as Morah entered the house. "He must have a mighty powerful God to stop the storm like that. Why didn't he drown?"
"Well apparently," Morah's father continued, "he's been in the belly of a fish for three days and nights. Now that is a mighty God he follows, if you ask me."
Morah froze once more at the mention of the big fish. So that's how the strange man had ended up inside the fish. He'd angered his God.
"How did he anger his God?" asked Morah, somewhat surprising her parents who hadn't noticed her come in.
"Well," said her father, crouching down to give his daughter a big hug. "Apparently he refused to do what God had asked him to do!"
"Really!" gasped Morah remembering the sight of the bedraggled old man who had just spent three days inside the belly of a fish. "Oh dear!" And without another thought, Morah turned to her mother and said, "Is there anything you would like me to do? You only have to ask, you know. I'll be only too willing."
And with that, Morah grabbed a broom and frantically began cleaning the house.
THINK!
Do you think Morah was right, not wanting to help her parents?
Why is it important to help other people?
What sorts of things can you do that would help God?
REMEMBER
Sometimes the simplest actions can bring the greatest rewards!A VERSE TO LEARN
Jesus said: "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42 - NIV).LET'S PRAY
****************************************************
Dear Lord, please help me to know that every time
I do something for another person,
I am also doing it for You.
Please help me to show Your Love
to my friends and family
in the things I do for them.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
****************************************************CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
Jonah (in the Old Testament), chapters 1, 2, 3 & 4
Coloring Fun
Jonah and the Big Fish
Jonah and the Big Fish (2)
The Story of Jonah
Online Coloring
Children's Coloring Books
Smart Coloring Books
Cut and Scramble Bible Verse Page 1
Cut and Scramble Bible Verse Page 2
Jonah Recorder Fun Pack (Veggie Tales)
Jonah - Online Activity
Jonah Word Search
Jonah Crossword Puzzle
Jonah and the Great Fish (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Online Word Search
Jonah and the Whale Playset (Almighty Heroes)
Jonah And The Great Fish Plush Toy w/Removable Jonah
Jonah Inlaid Puzzle (Veggie Tales)
Puzzles
Children's Activity Books
Online Fish Matching Game
Print Out Fish Matching Game
Jonah Go Fish Jumbo Card Game
Jonah Overboard Adventure Game by Veggie Tales (2-4 Players)
Jonah Fishin' Card Game by Veggie Tales (2-4 Players)
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Stuffed Paper Bag Whale
Jonah and the Whale Crafts
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Pipe Cleaner People
(Adapt this craft by making Bible story characters)
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Bible Crafts On A Shoestring Budget-Grades 1 & 2
Big Book of Bible Crafts
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Beginners Bible/Jonah & The Big Fish (I Can Read)
Jonah And The Big Fish (Bookmarks)
Jonah and the Whale
Jonah Comic Book
Jonah: The Runaway Preacher (Bibletime Books)
Jonah, The Runaway Prophet
Jonah And The Big Fish (My Jesus Pocketbook Series)
Whale and Jonah Read and Listen
Jonah & the Great Big Fish
Jonah and The Big Fish
Jonah and the Big Fish (Famous Bible Stories Christian Focus)
Jonah
Jonah & Very Big Fish (Arch Books)
Big Bible Stories: Jonah Video Story Signed For The Deaf
Jonah and Other Bible Stories (Golden Books)
Read the story in the Bible
The Story of Jonah
Jonah and The Whale (Little Golden Books)
Read with Me: Jonah the Moaner (Read with Me)
More Books about Jonah
Children's Bible Stories
Children's Books
Going Down
All At Sea
Jonah and the Whale Song
Jonah and the Whale - Song #11
Gaither Homecoming Church In The Wildwood (Audio CD)
Jonah, Are You Gonna - Song #2
Songtime Kids: New Favorites (4 Audio CDs)
Jonah Singalong Songs and More! (Veggie Tales VHS)
Jonah's Overboard Sing-Along (Veggie Tales)
Jonah Was a Prophet - Song #10
Veggie Tales: More Sunday School Songs With Bob And Larry (Audio CD)
Children's Music
Baby Miracle/Jonah And The Whale (Nest Family)
Greatest Adventure/Jonah VHS (Hanna Barbera)
Greatest Heroes and Legends/Jonah and the Whale DVD (Good Times Entertainment)
Jonah (Vision Video)
Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie (CD | VHS Movie | 2 DVDs | Soundtrack)
Children's DVDs
Resources for Parents and Teachers
Be Amazed: Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Malachi (Warren Wiersbe)
Children's Church
Bible Memory Games (Creative Bible Activities for Children)
Bulletin Board helps
Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul
Church Nanny Sos: Teaching Discipline Essentials for Preschool Ministry Volunteers
801 Questions Kids Ask About God (Focus on the Family)
52 Games That Teach The Bible
Hermie Scripture Memory
How to Lead a Child to Christ
How to Lead Your Child to Christ (Focus on the Family)
Lord Teach Me To Pray For Kids (Kay Arthur)
Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours
Object Talks
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Reproducibles
Sunday School Attendance Boosters: 165 Fresh Ideas
Talking to God (Instant Bible Lessons)
Teaching Children Memory Verses Ages 4-5
Teaching Children To Pray Ages 4-5
What Every Sunday School Teacher Should Know (by Elmer Towns)
More Sunday School Helps
Copyright © 2009 by Steve Wilson.
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