Faith and Jessica

There were two little girls named Faith and Jessica. They both had small hearts.

Faith decided that to increase her heart's size she would love as many people as she could. "Maybe love will make my heart bigger" she thought. So every day Faith met people and built friendships with them and became a part of their lives. She ate with them, cried with them, encouraged them and loved them deeply from her heart. Faith made friends with the aged, children, men, women, teenagers, - the loveless and the loved . Her heart was sometimes broken by those that could not love her back. Sometimes she was betrayed. Sometimes she felt unlovable. But her heart grew and grew.

Jessica was scared that her small heart would be broken or trodden on if she allowed people too close. Her heart, like Faith's, was very small and she feared sharing it with anyone. "Maybe my heart will grow if I hold onto to it tightly and don't share it with anyone" she thought. So every day Jessica avoided the love people offered to her. She shied away from compliments and withdrew from those who cared. She didn't allow anyone to come too close to her heart for fear of being heart-broken. Jessica never had a broken heart, she was never betrayed but she always felt unlovable. Her heart remained small and she was devastated.

One day, Faith spoke to Jessica. "Look at me dear. My heart has grown! Why don't you try to open your heart to others. It worked for me - I'm sure it would work for you too!" Jessica was a little frightened because she knew the risks Faith had made to expose her heart to others. She didn't fully understand why she had to give something of herself to gain something. She knew that Faith had been hurt. She knew that Faith had been broken. But Faith had a big heart and that's what Jessica wanted too.

Jessica decided to listen to her friend Faith and she began to love.

Her heart grew and grew.