Puppets: Singing Thru the Hard Times

Singing Thru the Hard Times

Mooster:  Good evening, kids! How are you? That’s great!

Monkey Moe: (from behind the curtains) Waaaaah! Oh woe is me!! Woe is me!!

Mooster: What on earth? Moe, is that you?

Monkey Moe:  (from behind the curtains) Waah! (sniffles loudly) yes.

Mooster: Moe, come on out here – what on earth is wrong with you?

Monkey Moe: (sniffling, pokes his head out) My whole world is collapsing! Everything is terrible!

Mooster: Monkey Moe, tell me what is wrong. It can’t be all THAT bad!

Monkey Moe: Yes it is. You have no idea! You can’t possibly understand. No one can. I’m the only monkey who has ever had troubles like this. (Starts singing, Nobody knows, the trouble I’ve seen….nobody knows my sorrow!)

Mooster. That’s not true, Moe. Jesus knows all about all of our troubles. But sometimes it helps to talk over our problems with another person. Tell me what is bothering you.

Monkey Moe: Oh it’s just too awful to tell! First off this morning, I got out of bed and stubbed my toe on the night table. Then I tripped on the rug and bumped my head on the door frame. By the time I finally got to the bathroom I looked like I had been hit by a truck. Then my favorite toothpaste was all used up. I had to call my mom for more toilet paper, there were no clean towels so I had to air dry and then I couldn’t do a thing with my hair.

Mooster: Is that it?

Monkey Moe: Oh no – there’s lots more where that came from, let me tell you. I can’t find my homework and the schoolbus was honking for me and I got on the bus and tripped going up the stairs and all the kids laughed at me. Even the busdriver. Then I get to school and I had to do math problems at the front of the class and I got them wrong. I felt so stupid. Then at lunch time I went to shake the ketchup bottle and it popped open and sprayed ketchup all over my new shirt!

Mooster: Oh, that’s terrible, Moe, but everyone has bad days and –

Monkey Moe: I’m not done! In gym class I couldn’t throw the ball very well and so I couldn’t get anyone out. But I got out lots of times. I’m so awkward. I’m a monkey, ya know? I’m supposed to be fast and limber and I’m not. It’s very embarrassing.

Mooster: Well Moe did your day get better when you got home?

Monkey Moe: Nope. Mom was mad about the ketchup stain so I had to scrub my own shirt clean. Can you imagine that? Treated me like a regular servant. Then, when I finished that, I went to get a cookie from the cookie jar and my baby brother had eaten them all. Then when I was riding my bike over here, I got a flat tire and I had to walk it the rest of the way. While I was walking, my shoelace broke and now my shoe is flopping all over the place.  Waaahhhhhh!! Sob..sniffle…I told you the world was ending!

Mooster: Okay, Moe, you sure have had a bad day. I completely understand why you are sad. But I want you to know that no matter how bad things are for you, God still loves you and He still has things in control.

Monkey Moe: Why did God let all those bad things happen to me today? I didn’t deserve it. I haven’t even been bad recently. I haven’t even eaten Mrs. Gooden’s bananas off her tree…even though they are ripe and she isn’t picking them yet and they’ll probably rot and fall off the tree….

Mooster: Moe, God doesn’t always allow bad things in our lives as punishment. Sometimes God is testing us.

Monkey Moe: Testing us? I’m not very good at tests in school. Why would God test me? Why does God test anybody?

Mooster: To help us grow and trust him more. Do you remember hearing about the apostle Paul?

Monkey Moe: Of course! He was the man God used to write a lot of the New Testament!

Mooster: That’s right, Moe. But he didn’t have an easy life. You think you had a bad day. Listen to this! Paul says in Second Corinthians that he had to work hard, was beaten often, left in prison many times, left for dead often, he was stoned, he was in three shipwrecks, spent a day and a night in the ocean, had to take long journeys on foot, had problems with robbers, had to run from people who wanted to kill him, had dangers in the wilderness, had times of hunger and times when he didn’t have enough clothing to keep him warm! Yet in all that, he knew God still loved him and cared for him.

MM: Wow….he went through a lot of hard times. I’ve never been really hungry. And I’ve certainly never been shipwrecked. Or left for dead. That would be awful!

Mooster: That’s the point, Moe – sometimes we get so caught up in our own troubles that we can’t see there are lots of people who have it worse than we do.

Moe: Yeah, I guess you’re right. There’s a kid in my class and his parents are getting a divorce. He’s really sad. Sometimes, when he doesn’t think anyone sees him, I see him crying. I feel bad for him.

Mooster: Yep, it is sad when folks divorce. It’s hard on the children. But God is there to comfort their hearts and give them strength if they know Him as their Saviour.

Moe: Yeah, but most of the time the parents don’t get back together. So the kids are still sad.

Mooster: That’s true. We can’t control what other people do, but we can trust God. Sometimes in other countries people are tortured and even killed just because they believe in Jesus. But God is their hope and strength.

Moe: That’s terrible! Why does God let people die for Him?

Mooster: Because many times when the unsaved people in a village or country see that people are willing to die for the Lord, they will be persuaded that what the Bible says is true, and many more will come to Christ. They know they wouldn’t die for their gods, so when they see someone is willing to die for Jesus Christ, they know Jesus must be the One True God.

Moe: Oh. That makes sense. Hey is that why sometimes God doesn’t heal people that are really sick? They stay sick for a long time…. and sometimes …they die. Is it so other people can hear about Jesus from them?

Mooster: That’s right! There are lots of people who have gotten saved because they worked in the hospital or a doctor’s office where a Christian was suffering and ill. The Christian was able to give their testimony to others. People could see that even through their great pain, they still had peace, and the unsaved people wanted that peace. So they got saved, too!

Moe: That’s cool. It just seems too bad that people have to suffer in order for other people to get saved.

Mooster: Well, not if we look at it from God’s eyes. God is going to be giving out crowns for rewards in heaven, and the Bible says those who died for the cause of Christ will receive special crowns. And they won’t be suffering in heaven. All pain and suffering and death here on earth is but for a short time – eternity is forever and there is NO suffering or death in heaven!

Moe: Well, I guess I should be thankful for what I have and not be so sad about when I have bad days.

Mooster: That’s true. You know what helps, sometimes?

Moe: What?

Mooster: Singing!

Moe: (Starts singing) Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream!..... I don’t feel any better yet.

Mooster: Not that kind of song, silly. The Bible says we are to speak to ourselves in songs and Bible verses, singing and praising God, and that will encourage us.

Moe: Oh. So singing songs that honor God will help me feel better?

Mooster: They sure will!

Moe: Well, I’m willing to try! Hey Mr. Songleader!!!

Songleader: Yes Moe?

Moe: Can you help me sing some songs that will help me feel better?

Songleader: Sure, Moe. How about Jesus Loves Me?

(everyone sings Jesus Loves Me)

Songleader: Now let’s sing “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart!”

(everyone sings that)

Moe: Hey – I do feel a little better. Thanks Mooster! I’m gonna walk my bike back home so my dad can fix it, and on the way home, I’m gonna sing some more songs about God!

Mooster: Good idea, Moe. Kids, when you feel down and discouraged and sad, try not to worry about what your problems are. I know it’s hard not to think about them, but if you start singing praises to God, it will help you feel better, even if you can’t change the problem. And remember to always talk to your mom or dad or other trusted adult when you have problems. They love you and will try and help you as much as they can!

Moe: Bye Mooster! Bye Kids!

Mooster: Bye Moe! Bye Kids! See you next time!