Cain and Abel

Long ago there were two brothers named Cain and Abel. They were the very first brothers in the whole world! Cain was a farmer who grew plants in the ground. Abel was a shepherd who took care of woolly sheep.

One day, both brothers wanted to bring a gift to God to say thank You. Cain brought some of the fruit he had grown. Abel brought the very best little lamb from his flock, giving God his finest and his first.

God was happy with Abel’s gift, because Abel gave it with a glad and loving heart. But Cain had not given his best, and his heart was grumpy. Cain became very, very angry, and his face turned all frowny.

God saw Cain’s angry face, and He spoke to him gently, like a kind friend. “Why are you so angry?” God said. “If you do what is right, things will be good. But be careful — angry feelings are crouching at your door like a lion, waiting to pounce. You must be the boss of your anger!”

But Cain did not listen. He let his angry feelings get bigger and bigger until they were too big, and he hurt his brother Abel terribly, and Abel died. It was a very sad thing to do. Later God asked Cain, “Where is your brother?” Cain said, “How should I know? Am I supposed to take care of him?” But yes — God wants us to care for each other.

God was sad about what Cain did, and there were consequences. But even then, God still cared about Cain. He put a special mark on Cain to keep him safe and protect him. God never stops loving His people, even when they make a very wrong choice. And God wants us to be kind keepers of our brothers and sisters and friends.