Walter the Worm Learns to Love Himself - A Children's Story

Walter the Worm Learns to Love Himself

By Bill Conley

Moral to the story:
God made you just the way you are, with special gifts that no one else has. Even when you wish you were someone else, remember that God doesn’t make mistakes. You are wonderfully made, and your value isn’t in how you look, but in the love you give and the joy you bring. When you learn to see yourself through God’s eyes, you will love yourself completely and unconditionally too.

Walter the Worm Learns to Love Himself

Walter the Worm wiggled through the soft garden soil each morning with a big sigh.
He watched the butterflies flutter above him, their colorful wings glistening in the sunshine.
“Oh, how I wish I were a butterfly,” he whispered sadly. “They fly so high and look so beautiful. But I’m just a plain, squiggly worm.”

Walter felt small, slimy, and unimportant.

The butterflies danced through the flowers, sipping nectar and laughing in the breeze.
They never looked down to see Walter working hard beneath the earth.
No one clapped for Walter or called him lovely.
He felt invisible.

One sunny day, Walter crawled near the edge of the garden and looked at his reflection in a puddle.
He scrunched up his little wormy face.
“Yuck,” he muttered. “Why did God make me like this? I want to be something better.”

Just then, he heard a soft voice nearby.
It was Gracie the Grasshopper, chirping on a leaf.

“Why so glum, Walter?” she asked.

Walter sighed. “I wish I were a butterfly. I’m just a worm. Nobody notices me. I’m not special.”

Gracie tilted her head. “That’s not true! Worms are wonderful. You help keep the soil soft and rich so flowers and food can grow.”

Walter blinked. “I do?”

Gracie nodded. “Without you, the roots of the plants wouldn’t get enough air and water. You help the whole garden live!”

Walter had never thought of that before. He just wiggled and dug and hid from the sun.

“Still,” Walter said, “butterflies are so beautiful.”

Gracie smiled. “God didn’t make everyone to fly. Some of us jump. Some crawl. Some dig. And all of us matter.”

Walter didn’t know what to say.

That night, Walter curled into a little ball under a warm leaf and whispered a prayer.

“God, did You really make me special? Even though I’m not pretty or flashy like a butterfly?”

A gentle breeze blew through the garden, and Walter felt a peace he hadn’t felt before.

The next morning, he went back to work.
As he wiggled through the soil, he found a lost beet seed stuck in a tangle of roots.
He carefully loosened the dirt, helped the roots stretch out, and tucked the seed in just the right spot.

Over the next few weeks, Walter visited the seed every day, making sure the soil stayed loose and damp.

And one day—POP!
The seed sprouted!
Bright green leaves reached toward the sun, and little purple bulbs began to grow.

Walter wiggled with joy.
“I helped it grow!” he squealed.

Just then, Bella the Butterfly floated by. She stopped and gasped.

“Walter! Did you do all this?” she asked, hovering above the blooming beet plant.

Walter blushed. “Yes. I guess I did.”

“It’s beautiful,” said Bella. “And so are you, Walter. Not because of how you look, but because of what’s inside you. You care. You help. You love.”

Walter beamed.

At last, he understood.

He didn’t have to be a butterfly to matter.
He didn’t have to be flashy to be loved.
God made him just right—with a heart full of kindness and a job no one else could do.

From that day on, Walter no longer wished to be anyone else.
He wiggled with pride, knowing he was fearfully and wonderfully made.

 Moral to the story Poem:

God made you special, just as you are,
You shine your light like a little star.
Don’t try to be someone you’re not—
You’re perfect, loved, and dearly sought.