Two Baskets

Here is a cute story for New Year’s that you may want to read with your kids/younger brothers & sisters. You can accompany it by talking about what you are thankful for from the previous year. Thanks Alvi for the illustrations!

by Peter van Gorder

 One bright day in heaven, the archangel Gabriel called for two young angels, for God needed two angels to go on a special mission to earth. All the angels in heaven were excited about this special mission, but none were more excited than Ben and Angela, who had been chosen to go. The two angels flew as quickly as their angel wings could carry them.

“Thank you for coming,” Gabriel said. “God has chosen you to go on this special mission. You will each need an empty basket.”

Gabriel handed each of the two angels a sparkling golden basket. The young angels excitedly waited to hear what they were meant to do with the baskets.

“Ben,” Gabriel said, “God wants you to go to earth and collect all the prayers that people pray asking Him to do things for them or to give them things, such as good health or new clothes or food.

“Yes, sir!” replied Ben.

“Dear Angela, you must also fill your basket. You must go to earth and collect the prayers of praise and gratitude to God.”

“Yes, Angel Gabriel, I will do as you request.”

“Thank you, my dear friends. I trust that you will do well on this mission. God plans to weigh the baskets to see if His children remember to thank and praise Him for the blessings He gives them every day.”

“Thank you for choosing us for this mission,” Ben said.

“I hope to return with a basket full to overflowing with praises. That will make God’s heart glad,” Angela added.

The two happy angels then flew off on their mission. The angels in heaven cheered for them as they went on their way. They were anxious to see which basket would be most full on their return, the praises to God or the requests to God.

Angela and Ben flew all over the earth, to every village, every town, and every farm, even to the hospitals, the nu
rseries, the schools, and the playgrounds. They went to every house and to every child’s bed as the children knelt to pray.
After many days the angels returned, bringing their baskets to God. The angels in heaven cheered as they saw Ben and Angela approach with their baskets.

 

God smiled kindly and reached out His arms. “Come, My young ones, I want so much to see what you have brought. Have My dear people on earth taken the time to thank Me for My blessings, or only to ask Me to do things for them?”

Ben approached first. “Here, my Lord. I have searched all over the earth and these are all the requests prayed to You.” Ben put his overflowing basket at God’s feet. It was so full that some of the prayers fluttered up to God’s throne.

God spoke, “I see that My people have been faithful to bring their requests before Me. I am glad for that! I love to answer their prayers. Now let’s see how many took the time to thank Me for My blessings…

“Dear Angela, bring your basket before Me.”

Angela looked down into her partially full basket, and with a sad heart laid it at God’s feet. “My Lord, I too have been all over the earth searching for prayers of praise and gratitude to You. I was certain that I would find many, but dear Lord, these few prayers of thankfulness were all I found.”

God’s face grew sad. “My dear Angela, you have done well. My heart is sad that My people forget to thank Me. I wish they would remember that the more they thank Me, the more I will bless them and the more I will give them.”

God then said to the angels of heaven, “We have seen the lesson mankind must learn. Pray for them, that they will come to understand how it brings joy to My heart when they praise and thank Me. And in praising and thanking Me, their hearts will also be glad and My blessings upon them will be multiplied.”

And so, on that day, all the angels of heaven bowed their heads and prayed for people everywhere to have hearts filled with praise to God and to utter praises to Him always.