1430+ Christian Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. If you’re looking for the best Christian short stories, whether they’re funny, didactic, or inspirational, this page is for you.

🏆 Winning stories

“10 Ways to Explain Your Husband's Death to Your Son” by Zack Powell

🏆 Winner of Contest #163

Content warning: Themes of death***1. Tell the truthBe gentle but honest. This is your son's first time experiencing death, his only rodeo.He is five years old, wild-eyed and sugar-crazed and baby-toothed. A sweet boy. He doesn't complain about going to church or preschool. He picks up the toy cars in his room without being asked, lowers the seat after using the toilet. Some days you feel as though you've won the lottery.At night, he helps you say grace. Eyes closed, hands clasped over a plate of hot dog mac and cheese, he prays for God to w...

257 likes 185 comments 185

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“THIS IS THE DAY WE DIE” by Abigail Airuedomwinya

🏆 Winner of Contest #103

THIS IS THE DAY WE DIEDepression sounded like a half-witted song, one that couldn’t be sung at home or school or the church. It was something so ephemeral that it seemed to have lost its meaning. It was unlikely that one of the children would somehow become infected with the virus. Life with the Bishop was simple: mornings with prayers and a plate of fried bananas; afternoons with Jesus and rosaries and seashells; evenings with stories and hymns. There was no way a child living with Bishop would end up being contaminated with the virus of de...

367 likes 199 comments 199

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“Piece of Chicken?” by Sun Shine

Submitted to Contest #278

The responding officer’s summary of the incident was as follows:LEOs arrived on scene at the Highway 42 truck stop at 0715. Victim reported theft. Victim produced security footage and identified employee Starla Moore, closing shift employee as suspect. Suspect’s address is listed as 1700 S. Harbor Rd. Ms. Moore was located with Chick’a’liscious merchandise in her possession. It’s a long way up from the bottom. Then, the bottom falls out.BiPolar, a slew of personality disorders – if you can name a psychological unbalance in Starla’s...

4 likes 1 comment 1

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“A Touch of Heaven” by Stephanie Redieske

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #213

“Look around you,” Grandpa whispered as he gently rested his left hand on my right shoulder, and waved out in front of us with his right. “This is what I see every day now.” I looked out over rolling emerald hills, towering, snow covered mountains in the distance, and glistening, white-capped waves crashing into the sandy coast. I had never seen so much natural beauty in one glimpse. I thought to take a picture, but I didn’t want to move for fear of losing the moment. A warm breeze blew my hair softly behind me, and the faint sound of chir...

31 likes 12 comments 12

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“A Simple Act of Kindness” by Murray Burns

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #195

A Simple Act of Kindness“The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.”-Amelia EarhartRule #1- Four downs to get the ball across the goal line (telephone pole); no first downs.Rule #2- Pass rusher must count three “Mississippies” before rushing the quarterback. (No cheating.)Rule #3- No catching the ball on a bounce off the side or roof of a garage.Rule #4- If football goes into Mr. Radtke’s yard, leave ball, run home, and the kid responsible for sending the ball into the forbidden zone shall endure th...

43 likes 29 comments 29

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✍️ All stories

“Piece of Chicken?” by Sun Shine

Submitted to Contest #278

The responding officer’s summary of the incident was as follows:LEOs arrived on scene at the Highway 42 truck stop at 0715. Victim reported theft. Victim produced security footage and identified employee Starla Moore, closing shift employee as suspect. Suspect’s address is listed as 1700 S. Harbor Rd. Ms. Moore was located with Chick’a’liscious merchandise in her possession. It’s a long way up from the bottom. Then, the bottom falls out.BiPolar, a slew of personality disorders – if you can name a psychological unbalance in Starla’s...

4 likes 1 comment 1

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“My Bio” by Viking Princess

Submitted to Contest #278

All the voices in my head are family, and they're always fighting.When I was a girl, I read to escape reality. I even made up adventures and conflicts in my mind. I dreamt of writing, but never did. Then I grew up and stopped reading. My imagination died with my inner child. God has ways of helping us when we don't know how to help ourselves, though, and He sent me a friend, a writer.This friend interviewed my very soul, and in the process, he made me realize I'd lost all my dreams, but he resuscitated them through hours of interrogation. Th...

9 likes 12 comments 12

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“Wicked They Say” by Maximilian Cartwright

Submitted to Contest #277

Wicked they called her. A foolish term, lobbed by rubes at that which they do not understand. A condemnation of themselves and testament to their own backwards ignorance. The Jews reviled and persecuted the prophets. What difference, this present generation? Fear was what ruled them. Not the mercy they professed. Not the humility, the meekness, the turning of the other cheek. No. Wicked they called her. All because of a few missing cats. All because of some blood and ground-up bone sprinkled upon a few thresholds. A fetish bag or two of cure...

9 likes 4 comments 4

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“Little Red Riding Hood (as Told by the Wolf)” by Alice Wooten

Submitted to Contest #277

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD (AS TOLD BY THE WOLF)ALICE WOOTEN           Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’ve all heard of the story “Little Red Riding Hood”…cute little girl with a red cape. Sounds pretty innocent, right? Well, all that shines is not gold is what I say. You’ve heard it said that there are two sides to every story, well here is my take on this precocious, little cutie.           So let me start by setting the stage. My name is Lone Wol...

8 likes 1 comment 1

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“Why Not Me, Lord?” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #276

“Why Not Me, Lord?”               “Atheists who keep asking for evidence of God’s existence are like fish in the ocean asking for evidence of water.”                                                     &nbsp...

25 likes 5 comments 5

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“The Interruption” by Kelita Sim

Submitted to Contest #276

It was a non - peculiar morning when a peculiar breeze found its way beneath my duvet, tickled my toes and nudged me awake to let me know it was time to get up.Don’t laugh but I was convinced and still am, that the breeze, which had no obvious source, was and is of the holy kind. Has anyone else ever experienced that? A helping hand you didn’t ask for or think you needed? Some unexplainable, let’s say Force, outside of your control that influences your plans? A Force that gives you power or piles on pressure? That holds you back or hurr...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“Book, Club, Best friends” by Lillian Eason

Submitted to Contest #276

Walking down the 300 hallway at Dryden high school, my heavy backpack making my back ache and my tongue swiping over my teeth trying to dislodge the food stuck there from lunch, my eyes were roving over the new faces all around me. Why on planet earth did they put band class right after lunch?! My reeds are going to be made of mold, and my clarinet too! I thought angrily. I was a short freshman in Dryden high school. I had my straight, blonde hair back in a braid as usual, my gray, college sized backpack painfully hanging from my shoulders.&...

5 likes 0 comments 0

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“No Cardiac-Pulmonary activity” by Annie Chibesakunda

Submitted to Contest #276

I grew up as a curious little girl, always asking "Why?" whenever I didn’t understand something. One day, my world was shaken. My grandfather passed away after heart surgery, and it left me completely bewildered.“Daddy, if Grandpa went for a heart surgery, how come he died?” I asked, my voice trembling with confusion.“I don’t know,” my father replied quietly. I could see the sadness in his eyes, the kind of sorrow that he probably wouldn’t let me see in front of him. As per tradition, men were supposed to be strong, and crying was not an opt...

8 likes 2 comments 2

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“Singing with Confidence” by Eleanor Arcaro

Submitted to Contest #276

I always wanted to sing. It had been my dream since I was seven years old. I used to listen to the cantors at Mass and longed to be one of them. When asked what I wanted to do when I got older, I'd say, "I want to perform for God." However, I was shy and uncomfortable with people. Whenever I'd sing in front of people, my nerves took over, my legs would shake, my heart pound, and I felt like passing out.I tried to gain confidence, but living in a dysfunctional family made that impossible. Certain family members scolded and treated me harshly ...

8 likes 1 comment 1

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“Starbucks Apple” by John Nichols

Submitted to Contest #276

 You know how a song can relive a memory:yes, a vivid memory of me and her. I guess you could say it was our first date. We had met in church during my time farming with my aunt and uncle. It was the summer of 2006, and I had just graduated from community college—yes, I know, quite an accomplishment. My aunt and uncle come up from Hopkinsville, Kentucky to the upper peninsula of Michigan for a family reunion. Their visit was brief as usual: ten hour drive for a brief hour or two visit and a brief ten hour drive home. Yes, they took me c...

6 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Center of Attention” by Hope Flinchum

Submitted to Contest #276

“I don’t care if you hang out with him, but I won’t be around if you do.”The only thing that matched the heat of my anger was the depth of my confusion. Ruthie had been there. I couldn’t fathom why she wanted to hang out with Blake, who was the single most obnoxious man to ever disgrace the halls of our school.Let me set the scene. It was the fall semester, and my best (and only) friend and I were sitting in the student center, studying.Enter man: he’s five-foot-ten, dirty blonde hair, and a smirk that says he’s looking forward to the fight ...

6 likes 0 comments 0

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“I have seen the Light!” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #276

Long ago, way back when in Sunday School, I believed. My father and old Grandma took my older sister and me to Church. There we learnt about Jesus and God, forever blessing us. We learnt about the wonder of Heaven and Eternal Light and Love. When did you learn about God? I do not ask anyone.But we went home to my mother, an atheist and a nihilist. On her journey on this cosmic stage, she stopped us attending Sunday School, and prevented our youngest sister from ever being there. So for some reason, as a teenager, I studied Theology with som...

9 likes 1 comment 1

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“An act of Kindness” by Kristina Hopper

Submitted to Contest #276

Grief is such a difficult construct. One that a human layers with differing views of timelines, guidance, and social acceptance. When someone passes away in our culture, we bury them in the ground after a series of services preluding the burial and we try to find solace that our loved ones are in what we deem to be a better place.              Grief has been a difficult construction for me. On January 3rd, every year, for the rest of my life that day will be a solemn remin...

10 likes 1 comment 1

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“Reaching Out My Hand” by Pamela Rose

Submitted to Contest #276

I'm reaching out my hand. Help me. - I can't remember if I spoke these words out loud or quietly in my mind, as I was laying in my bed in February, not able to move, not able to go outside for even 5 minutes with my dog. There was nothing wrong with my body, but my spirit was suffering deeply. Exactly a year after my breakup with a man twice my age, I was a 25 year old who spent her days silently in her apartment, my only activities being: caring for my rescue dog and getting some groceries from time to time. I'd eat one meal per day. I deve...

9 likes 5 comments 5

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“Recess Friends” by Taylor Morden

Submitted to Contest #276

When I was growing up, I had a hard time making friends. My dad had passed away when I was five, leaving an empty hole and a strange little girl behind. Most of my days were spent playing and then forgetting, and I rarely seemed to live in the reality others did. The play structure in the middle of the yard seemed to be towering over all us little kids, and by grade two I only had about three friends to spend my time with. Although life was pretty simple, I had no way of knowing it was about to get a bit more dramatic. It was a bright sunny...

12 likes 0 comments 0

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