Good morning boys and
girls!
How
many of you like stories about fairies or pixies? Well,
you’re in luck because today I’m going to tell you a story about a pixie named
Clarrie. Clarrie was a very naughty pixie who bullied and intimidated the
gentle fairy Delphinium. But when Clarrie
tore her wing, and was therefore grounded indefinitely, it was
Delphinium who cared for her and showed her genuine forgiveness.
CLARRIE was very, very angry. The Head Pixie had just informed her that a good fairy had been assigned to look after her. Clarrie didn't want anybody to look after her. She certainly didn't want some fairy, and she most definitely didn't want a fairy who was good. Clarrie was not good. She worked hard at being bad, which was why the Head Pixie in despair, had turned to the fairies for help. Almost all fairies are good, and so are particularly suited to caring for others, even for bad pixies like Clarrie
Clarrie’s worst sins were hurting other pixies. She delighted in pinching pixie wings, or stamping hard on pixie toes, or hiding in the trees, then at night when it was dark and scary, jumping out with a loud shriek. All the other pixies were terrified of CLARRIE, and avoided her whenever they could. So CLARRIE had no friends and was always alone. That was the way she liked it. She couldn't be bothered with any of the other pixies, they were so boringly well-behaved. They never had any fun. Well, only feeble fun like playing games or flying sedately in a kind of pixie crocodile.
The Head Pixie had long despaired of Clarrie but kept on and on forgiving her, hoping she'd perhaps become loveable one day. CLARRIE regarded the Head Pixie with contempt. She considered the Head Pixie to be a total wimp, and every time the Head Pixie forgave her, CLARRIE would immediately fly off and hatch a new plot which was even worse than previous schemes.
The crunch had finally come when CLARRIE had torn a piece out of another pixie's wing. She hadn't actually meant to tear the wing, she'd only nailed it to a tree with a pine needle when the pixie was asleep. But the pixie had woken up with a start, and the wing had torn, and a little piece of wing was still nailed to the tree. Pixie wings are very delicate. Any damage to a pixie wing is extremely painful, so the little pixie was in agony. CLARRIE, whose wings had never been damaged, laughed out loud to see the little pixie's suffering. The Head Pixie had been horrified by CLARRIE's lack of remorse, and had resolved to call in the fairies. And when CLARRIE had begged and pleaded and implored forgiveness, the Head Pixie had stood firm and refused to budge.
It was a terrible disgrace to be put into the charge of a fairy. CLARRIE didn't care about the disgrace, she rather enjoyed it and swaggered and boasted about how she was the worst pixie in the world. But when the good fairy Delphinium arrived, CLARRIE's swagger changed to a depressed sort of limp, and her boasting became an angry moan. The trouble with good fairies is, you can't get away from them. Delphinium stuck to CLARRIE like glue. CLARRIE had no opportunity for any mischief, because Delphinium was always there, like a kind of shadow.
And Delphinium was so boring. For a start, she was always nice, no matter how rude CLARRIE was to her. And she enjoyed fairy pursuits, like dancing in a ring and sitting on toadstools, and helping whenever she could. All things which CLARRIE hated. CLARRIE sat and sulked, and tried to work out a way to shake off Delphinium. She tried kicking and pinching and scratching and punching Delphinium, but the good fairy was quick and light, and could fly out of trouble very fast indeed. CLARRIE never got near enough to do any real damage. But she did say really nasty things to Delphinium, and jeered and sneered at her so much, that once or twice CLARRIE noticed tears creep into Delphinium's blue eyes, and her rosebud mouth droop in despondency.
One day, when CLARRIE had shouted long and loud at Delphinium and told her how much she hated her, Delphinium turned her head away and closed her eyes for a moment. It was all the time CLARRIE needed. Quick as lightening, she slipped the sharpest pine needle she could see into the palm of her hand. When Delphinium turned towards her again, CLARRIE slashed at her face with the pine needle. Delphinium screamed, a tiny, high fairy scream, and covered her face in her hands. CLARRIE saw a drop of fairy blood ooze between Delphinium's fingers, and with a sigh as soft as thistledown, Delphinium crumpled into a little fairy heap on the ground.
CLARRIE gasped. She hadn't meant to hurt the fairy so much. She'd just wanted to frighten her. Suppose Delphinium was dead? She was lying very still. CLARRIE took to her wings and started to fly as fast as her wings would carry her. But she was in such a hurry, she flew straight into a thorn bush. The last thing CLARRIE remembered, was the agonising pain in her wing as she caught it on a thorn and tore its delicate tissue.
When CLARRIE came to, she was lying on a bed of soft moss, and somebody was gently bathing her injured wing in a soothing solution. As she struggled to sit up, Delphinium pushed her quietly back. "Hush now," whispered Delphinium. "You've hurt your wing quite badly. It'll heal in time, but I'm afraid there'll be no more flying for a while."
She looked so concerned and spoke in such a gentle voice that CLARRIE stared at her. Eventually CLARRIE said: "Don't you hate me? I've done such terrible things to you. Why don't you just leave me in pain? Why are you helping me?"
Delphinium laughed, a musical fairy laugh. "I don't hate you," she said. "I just want you to get better. And I'll help you all I can. I promise not to get in your way, and when you're really better, I'll ask the Head Pixie if you can be by yourself again. I know you don't really like having me around."
But to her surprise, CLARRIE heard herself saying: "Don't go, please don't leave me. I wish you'd stay." Then she caught hold of Delphinium's hand and clasped it tightly. "I'm so sorry for all I've done to you and everyone else," she whispered. "I know you must hate me. I hate myself."
But Delphinium simply put her arms around CLARRIE and hugged her. "I'm your friend," she said. "I could never hate you."
And do you know, after that CLARRIE changed so much she became the Best Pixie in the World, and everyone was her friend. She never hurt anybody again, and she soon became the happiest pixie anyone had ever known.
CLARRIE was very, very angry. The Head Pixie had just informed her that a good fairy had been assigned to look after her. Clarrie didn't want anybody to look after her. She certainly didn't want some fairy, and she most definitely didn't want a fairy who was good. Clarrie was not good. She worked hard at being bad, which was why the Head Pixie in despair, had turned to the fairies for help. Almost all fairies are good, and so are particularly suited to caring for others, even for bad pixies like Clarrie
Clarrie’s worst sins were hurting other pixies. She delighted in pinching pixie wings, or stamping hard on pixie toes, or hiding in the trees, then at night when it was dark and scary, jumping out with a loud shriek. All the other pixies were terrified of CLARRIE, and avoided her whenever they could. So CLARRIE had no friends and was always alone. That was the way she liked it. She couldn't be bothered with any of the other pixies, they were so boringly well-behaved. They never had any fun. Well, only feeble fun like playing games or flying sedately in a kind of pixie crocodile.
The Head Pixie had long despaired of Clarrie but kept on and on forgiving her, hoping she'd perhaps become loveable one day. CLARRIE regarded the Head Pixie with contempt. She considered the Head Pixie to be a total wimp, and every time the Head Pixie forgave her, CLARRIE would immediately fly off and hatch a new plot which was even worse than previous schemes.
The crunch had finally come when CLARRIE had torn a piece out of another pixie's wing. She hadn't actually meant to tear the wing, she'd only nailed it to a tree with a pine needle when the pixie was asleep. But the pixie had woken up with a start, and the wing had torn, and a little piece of wing was still nailed to the tree. Pixie wings are very delicate. Any damage to a pixie wing is extremely painful, so the little pixie was in agony. CLARRIE, whose wings had never been damaged, laughed out loud to see the little pixie's suffering. The Head Pixie had been horrified by CLARRIE's lack of remorse, and had resolved to call in the fairies. And when CLARRIE had begged and pleaded and implored forgiveness, the Head Pixie had stood firm and refused to budge.
It was a terrible disgrace to be put into the charge of a fairy. CLARRIE didn't care about the disgrace, she rather enjoyed it and swaggered and boasted about how she was the worst pixie in the world. But when the good fairy Delphinium arrived, CLARRIE's swagger changed to a depressed sort of limp, and her boasting became an angry moan. The trouble with good fairies is, you can't get away from them. Delphinium stuck to CLARRIE like glue. CLARRIE had no opportunity for any mischief, because Delphinium was always there, like a kind of shadow.
And Delphinium was so boring. For a start, she was always nice, no matter how rude CLARRIE was to her. And she enjoyed fairy pursuits, like dancing in a ring and sitting on toadstools, and helping whenever she could. All things which CLARRIE hated. CLARRIE sat and sulked, and tried to work out a way to shake off Delphinium. She tried kicking and pinching and scratching and punching Delphinium, but the good fairy was quick and light, and could fly out of trouble very fast indeed. CLARRIE never got near enough to do any real damage. But she did say really nasty things to Delphinium, and jeered and sneered at her so much, that once or twice CLARRIE noticed tears creep into Delphinium's blue eyes, and her rosebud mouth droop in despondency.
One day, when CLARRIE had shouted long and loud at Delphinium and told her how much she hated her, Delphinium turned her head away and closed her eyes for a moment. It was all the time CLARRIE needed. Quick as lightening, she slipped the sharpest pine needle she could see into the palm of her hand. When Delphinium turned towards her again, CLARRIE slashed at her face with the pine needle. Delphinium screamed, a tiny, high fairy scream, and covered her face in her hands. CLARRIE saw a drop of fairy blood ooze between Delphinium's fingers, and with a sigh as soft as thistledown, Delphinium crumpled into a little fairy heap on the ground.
CLARRIE gasped. She hadn't meant to hurt the fairy so much. She'd just wanted to frighten her. Suppose Delphinium was dead? She was lying very still. CLARRIE took to her wings and started to fly as fast as her wings would carry her. But she was in such a hurry, she flew straight into a thorn bush. The last thing CLARRIE remembered, was the agonising pain in her wing as she caught it on a thorn and tore its delicate tissue.
When CLARRIE came to, she was lying on a bed of soft moss, and somebody was gently bathing her injured wing in a soothing solution. As she struggled to sit up, Delphinium pushed her quietly back. "Hush now," whispered Delphinium. "You've hurt your wing quite badly. It'll heal in time, but I'm afraid there'll be no more flying for a while."
She looked so concerned and spoke in such a gentle voice that CLARRIE stared at her. Eventually CLARRIE said: "Don't you hate me? I've done such terrible things to you. Why don't you just leave me in pain? Why are you helping me?"
Delphinium laughed, a musical fairy laugh. "I don't hate you," she said. "I just want you to get better. And I'll help you all I can. I promise not to get in your way, and when you're really better, I'll ask the Head Pixie if you can be by yourself again. I know you don't really like having me around."
But to her surprise, CLARRIE heard herself saying: "Don't go, please don't leave me. I wish you'd stay." Then she caught hold of Delphinium's hand and clasped it tightly. "I'm so sorry for all I've done to you and everyone else," she whispered. "I know you must hate me. I hate myself."
But Delphinium simply put her arms around CLARRIE and hugged her. "I'm your friend," she said. "I could never hate you."
And do you know, after that CLARRIE changed so much she became the Best Pixie in the World, and everyone was her friend. She never hurt anybody again, and she soon became the happiest pixie anyone had ever known.
Boys
and girls, Jesus is just like Delphinium. He is always willing to forgive us,
and he will never leave us not matter how badly we behave.
Let’s
bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment of prayer. Dead God, thank you
for your love. Thank you for being with us no matter how badly we behave. Help
us to say we’re sorry when we sin, and help us to act like you want us to act.
In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN
Bibliography
1.
Janice H.
Scott, “The Worst Pixie in the World.” Retrieved from https://store.sermonsuite.com/content.php?i=788017559
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