Free · Chapter 1
Chapter 1: You shall love God above all things
The commandment in children’s words
God is the most important thing in my heart, more than anything else.
A story to tell
It was a Sunday afternoon at Mateo’s house. Mateo was seven years old and had a wooden box where he kept his treasures: a blue marble his grandfather had given him, a seashell from the beach, three soccer cards, and a shiny coin he found at the park.
That day, his little sister Lucía, who was four, was sad because she had lost her favorite doll. Mateo saw her crying in a corner of the living room and thought about his treasure box. What if he gave her something of his to cheer her up?
He sat down next to her and opened the box. Lucía looked at the seashell with wide eyes.
“This shell is from when we went to the beach,” said Mateo. “Remember? We played a lot that day.”
Lucía smiled a little. Just then, Grandma Carmen came in with a tray of cookies and sat with them on the rug.
“Mateo, what do you love most in the world?” his grandma asked, with a smile.
Mateo thought about his box, his cards, his new bike. He also thought about his mom’s hugs when he was scared, his dad’s stories before bed, and that warm feeling he had when they prayed together at home before meals.
“My box is very special to me, Grandma,” he said, “but what I love most is my family. And God, because He gave us all of this.”
Grandma ruffled his hair lovingly.
That night, before dinner, Mateo placed his treasure box in the middle of the table, not to show it off, but because he wanted to share the cookies and tell everyone the story of each treasure. His dad said thanks out loud for the food, for the house, and for being together. Mateo closed his eyes and felt that his heart was full, fuller than his box.
Before bed, he put the box away in his room, but he left the seashell on Lucía’s nightstand, so she could have a treasure close by too.
Talk it over
If you had to say what is most important in your heart, what would you say?
This week’s action
This week, before a family meal, each person will say out loud one good thing God has given them, and you will give thanks together.
Say it together
God first in my heart, and everything else finds its place.
Video 1 script (text narrated in the video)
Chapter one. You shall love God above all things. Mateo has a wooden box full of treasures: a blue marble, a seashell from the beach, and a shiny coin. It’s what he cares for most in his room. One day, his little sister Lucía is sad because she lost her doll. Mateo sits with her, opens his box, and shows her each treasure, telling her its story. Lucía starts to smile.
Grandma Carmen arrives with cookies and asks, “Mateo, what do you love most in the world?” Mateo thinks about his box, his bicycle, and also his mom’s hugs and the times they pray together at home.
Then he answers, “What I love most is my family and God, because He gave us all of this.”
That night, before bed, Mateo leaves the seashell on his little sister’s nightstand. His box is still special, but his heart learned something bigger. When God comes first, there is more than enough love to share.
