BEFORE YOU READ: Here’s a story about a boy named Jayden who learns to see the world in a new way. Before you read it with your kids, create your own glasses to wear. Download and print the glasses template below. Use markers, crayons, glitter, buttons, or any other fun supplies to decorate the glasses, and then cut them out. Invite all of your family members to put on their glasses, and then read the story together.
A Children’s Story About Perspective
Jayden loved playing outside. His backyard had tons of trees, and every day Jayden liked to go deep into the trees to play. One day, Jayden walked and walked for what seemed like forever. It was beginning to get dark, and he knew it was time to begin heading home. Jayden began to turn around and couldn’t remember which way to go. He didn’t recognize these trees. He didn’t recognize anything at all. Jayden was worried. He was lost. Would he be able to find his way home?
Jayden began walking to the left. After a while, he recognized a tree he had just passed. He must have been walking in circles! Frustrated, Jayden sat down on a mossy rock and put his head in his hands. He was about to give up hope of finding home when he noticed something glittering out of the corner of his eye. He got up from the rock and cautiously approached the glittering object. He bent down and brushed away some leaves. Underneath the leaves, Jayden discovered a pair of small, round, glittering glasses. He noticed blues and reds in the lenses that seemed to sparkle in the sun. Picking up the glasses, Jayden thought to himself, “How did these get here?” He gently turned them over in his hands. Then, carefully, Jayden opened the glasses and placed them on his face.
Amazed, Jayden quickly took them off. Through the lenses, everything looked different! The trees seemed taller and their leaves seemed fuller. The sun shone in a way he had never seen before. The whole world was brighter and more beautiful than he could have possibly imagined. Did Jayden dare put the glasses back on? For a moment he waited, uncertain, his breathing heavy. He looked around, and then, ever so slowly, raised the glasses to his face.
The beauty of the woods was amazing.
Jayden began to turn in a circle to try to take it all in. The blues and greens and yellows around him were vibrant. As he turned, he noticed a path of light through the trees. Jayden began to walk along the path as he continued to look around. After only a few minutes, Jayden saw his house in the distance. The glasses had led him home.
As Jayden walked out of the woods, he took off the glasses and placed them in his pocket. He couldn’t wait to show his friends at school the next day.
“Jayden, time for school!” yelled Jayden’s dad. It was the next morning, and Jayden was still tired from his long adventure the day before. He began to close his eyes again when, suddenly, he shot up in bed. The glasses! Were they real? Jayden quickly reached under his bed. He felt around for a moment, and then his fingers brushed something. It was the glasses. They were real. He quickly got ready for the day and tucked the glasses into his backpack.
When Jayden arrived at school, he put the glasses on as he walked toward the playground. As he looked around, he couldn’t help but be amazed by God’s awesome creation. Everything looked more magnificent than ever before. Over by the swings, Jayden’s friends were playing. Just as he was about to walk toward them, Jayden noticed a path of light. This path was just like the one that had led him out of the woods. Jayden paused. Then he began to walk on the path. It seemed that the path led to the monkey bars.
As Jayden approached the monkey bars, he noticed a boy who seemed upset and began to talk with him. Jayden found out the boy’s name was Amith and that he was new to the school. Amith didn’t know anyone and felt nervous about starting a new school. While Jayden and Amith were talking, some boys came up to them and began to tease Amith for the way he was talking. Jayden looked at the boys through his glasses and felt sorry for them. He knew it wasn’t nice to tease. Politely, Jayden asked the boys to stop picking on Amith. Surprised that anyone would call them out, the boys stopped teasing Amith and walked away.
Amith was speechless.
He had never met anyone as brave as Jayden. Jayden told him that his new glasses helped him see the right way to go and the best way to treat others. Then Jayden took off the glasses and handed them to Amith. Amith was so excited about the new glasses that he put them on right away. Amith smiled from ear to ear as he saw how beautiful everything looked.
As Jayden watched Amith, he realized that everything still looked beautiful. Something about wearing those glasses had changed the way that Jayden saw the world. He knew that he would never be the same again.
PARENTS:
After reading this story with your children, ask: What was so special about the glasses Jayden found? What can help us to see things differently, as Jayden saw things differently through the glasses?
Read Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
Discuss: God helps show us the way to go. When has God helped you know the right thing to do? How can this story remind us to see creation the way God does?