The Sunbeam

By Jill Johnson Hymas

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam. … I’ll be a sunbeam for him. (Children’s Songbook, page 60.)

When Heather’s mommy came to get her after nursery, she told Heather she had a surprise for her. “Next Sunday you’re not going to be in the nursery. You’re going to be a Sunbeam in Primary,” said Mommy.

“What’s a Sunbeam?” asked Heather.

“Sunbeam is the name of your new class. It has a class song, “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam.” That means that He wants you to make the world brighter by being cheerful and kind,” said Mommy.

Heather’s mommy taught her the Sunbeam song, and Heather was very happy that she was going to be a Sunbeam.

All during the week Heather thought about being a Sunbeam. She sang the Sunbeam song while she swung on her swing. She sang it to her baby sister and even to her two cats. By the time Sunday came, Heather knew the Sunbeam song by heart.

But when sacrament meeting had ended and Mommy was taking her to her class, Heather looked very sad. “I don’t want to go to Sunbeams.”

“Why not, Heather?” asked Mommy.

“Because I’m scared.”

“Heather, think of Who wants you to be a Sunbeam.”

Heather thought for a moment. She thought about how excited Mommy and Daddy were that she was going to be a Sunbeam. She thought about her baby sister and her two cats. They had liked it when she’d sung the Sunbeam song to them. Then she thought about the words to the song, and she smiled.

“I’ll go to Sunbeams, Mommy, because Jesus wants me to be a Sunbeam.”

Illustrated by Julie F. Young

Christ painting by Ted Henninger