Bible Reading: John 20:24-29

It was Grandparents' Day at Finley's school, and the kids were taking turns introducing their grandparents to the class. When it was Finley's turn, he went forward and proudly introduced his grandparents.

"Grandma and Grandpa Smith are visiting from Arizona," he said. "They like to travel, and they're going to take me to the Grand Canyon the next time I visit." Finley turned to his other grandmother. "Grandma Peters lives here, so I see her a lot. She's teaching me how to play the piano, and she always makes me laugh."

Then Finley held up a picture for everyone to see. "This is my other grandpa. He's not here today because he's in heaven. He went there before I was born, so I never saw him. But I feel like I know him because Dad and Mom and Grandma tell me all about him. He was always helping people, and he was a great baseball pitcher." Finley smiled and returned to his seat beside his grandparents.

That evening Finley told his mom and dad about Grandparents' Day. "I'm glad you tell me about Grandpa Peters and how he was always kind and loved to help people," Finley said. "I feel like I love him even though I've never seen him."

Dad smiled. "I love someone I've never seen too," he said. "Do you know who that is?"

Finley looked uncertain for a moment, then smiled. "I think you mean Jesus," he said. "I love Jesus too. So do Mom and all my grandparents."

"Yes, we do," said Mom. "You love Grandpa Peters because we tell you how good and kind he was. Why do you love Jesus?"

"Well, the Bible tells me how good He is," replied Finley. "He loves me too! And He gives me lots of good things--you and Dad and my friends and everything I need. Best of all, He died for me, and He's always with me--I can talk to Him anytime."

"That's exactly right, Finley," said Dad. "We love Jesus even though we've never seen Him--but someday we will see Him, won't we?"

"Yep!" Finley grinned. "Just like Grandpa Peters is seeing Him in heaven now!"

–Teresa M. Beverly

Bible Reading: Matthew 10:16-20; John 14:15-17, 25-27

Joy took a deep breath of the fresh afternoon air. Her older brother paused now and then to examine a tree or check out animal prints. Living near the woods was nice because you could take a nature walk whenever you wanted to.

Suddenly, the kids heard a menacing rattle. James flung his arm in front of Joy and stopped her from continuing down the trail. There, just a few feet from where they stood, was a large snake rattling its tail. When it rose to assume a striking position, Joy felt her mouth dry instantly with fear.

"Stay still and quiet," James whispered. A few seconds later, he laughed. "Notice anything about that snake, Joy?"

"It's blue," Joy whispered, confused. "So, it's not a rattlesnake?" Michigan had only one kind of venomous snake, the Massasauga rattlesnake. Because of where they lived, Mom ensured they knew all about it.

"Nope, I'm pretty sure it's a blue racer," said James. "See how there's no rattle on its tail?"

The snake lowered its head and darted down the path away from them.

"Whoa, it's fast!" said Joy.

"That's why they're called blue racers!"

Joy was in awe. "Blue racers are wise to make us think they're rattlers. The way it shook its tail against the leaves sounded like the sound real rattlesnakes make!"

The siblings followed a gentle cooing sound around the next bend. Perched on a high tree branch was a grey bird. "That's a mourning dove," Joy noted. "I'd rather see birds than snakes!"

"Hey, sis, I just thought of something! Remember that verse in Matthew Mom was talking to us about last week?"

"The one about snakes and doves…" Joy gasped. "That verse said, 'Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.'"

James nodded. "Jesus wanted His disciples to spread the good news of how He came to save us. He warned them that some people would not want to accept their message, so they had to be wise about how they shared it--in both their words and their actions," James recalled. "Like them, we need to trust God to help us share His love and truth with wisdom and innocence."

–Savannah Coleman

Bible Reading: Daniel 6:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"What beautiful zucchini!" Mom said as she and Alex walked in their garden. "It's amazing how God makes all kinds of wonderful food grow for us, isn't it? He's so good!"

Alex smiled and nodded, then looked down as his phone buzzed with a text message. "Nicholas's sister Joceyln is driving him to that new burger place down the road, and he invited me to go with them," he said. "Can I go?" Mom agreed, so Alex hurried off to join his friends.

When they sat down at the restaurant with their food, Alex remembered his mom's words. If zucchini was something to be thankful for, burgers were blessings for sure!

I want to thank God for the food, Alex thought. He usually prayed before meals, but he hadn't known Nicholas and Joceyln very long and didn't know if they were Christians. Will they understand? he wondered.

Nicholas took a big bite of his hamburger, then looked at Alex. "Why aren't you eating?"

Alex hesitated as Joceyln came to the table with napkins, then sat down and unwrapped her sandwich. He waited to see if she would bow her head. When she didn't, Alex decided to ask about it, even though he was a bit nervous. "Um, do you mind if I pray? I just want to thank God for the good food He's given us."

To Alex's surprise, Nicholas and Joceyln both looked up from their burgers and smiled. "That would be great!" said Joceyln. "We completely forgot to do that." Then they all bowed their heads.

When they finished, Joceyln grinned at Alex. "I'm glad you reminded us to pray. It's good to talk to God throughout the day and thank Him for all He's given us--even burgers!"

"You made me think of Daniel in the Bible," said Nicholas. "He prayed to God even though the king said he'd be thrown into a lion's den if he did. He prayed during a scary time, but it's just as important to pray during good times too."

Joceyln nodded. "Jesus wants us to go to Him in all situations--to thank Him in good times and look to Him for help in times of trouble." She smiled. "And now, here's something else you can thank Him for--ice cream sundaes on me!"

–Margaret M. Primrose

Bible Reading: Galatians 6:9-10

Imani plopped down in the grass next to the garden. "I'm never talking to that girl again!"

"Who? And why not?" asked Dad without looking up. He was planting a row of carrots.

"Natalia--the new girl down the street. I'm tired of trying to be friends with her. I said hi to her three times, and all she did was look down. Then this morning I invited her to play kickball with some of the other neighborhood kids, but she said, 'No, thanks,' and quickly walked away. She's so rude!" Imani spotted the garden hose and remembered her little patch of marigolds near her bedroom window. She began to uncoil the long green hose.

"What are you doing with that?" asked Dad.

"It's pretty hot outside, so I'm going to water my flowers," Imani replied.

"Why bother?" said Dad. "The seeds aren't growing. You planted them ten days ago, but I don't see anything happening. They must be duds." He fanned his face with his cap.

"You've gotta be joking, Dad," said Imani. "You know it takes time for seeds to grow. Just watch. Any day now flowers will be sticking their little green leaves up out of the ground."

Dad smiled. "You seem to have faith that those marigold seeds you planted will grow. Why don't you have faith in the friendship seeds you've been planting?"

"Friendship seeds?" asked Imani in surprise.

"That's right," said Dad. "Each time you reach out and show kindness to Natalia, you're planting a seed of friendship. Just like your marigolds, you can't always see anything growing at first, but I think you should keep watering the seeds you planted. Don't give up trying to be friends with Natalia. Be patient with her and trust Jesus to make the seeds of friendship you plant grow. Remember that He is always kind and patient with us even when we don't respond right away, and He'll help you be that kind of friend too."

Imani dropped the hose and turned off the water. "I'll take care of this later," she said. "I'm going to water my friendship seeds instead and see if Natalia wants to come over for ice cream."

–Teresa M. Beverly

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:1-10; Matthew 23:25-28

"Wow, Mom! Look at that huge caramel apple!" Zayne exclaimed when he and his mom walked into the grocery store. "Can I get it to take to school tomorrow?"

"Well, a regular apple would be better for you, but that one is a beauty," Mom said. "Okay. You can have it this time."

During class the next morning, Zayne thought about the caramel apple in his lunch bag. His mouth watered as he imagined biting into it. He was glad when lunchtime finally came. Sandwich first, Zayne told himself. Then the carrot sticks. At last he pulled out the apple. He held it up to show his friends, and one of them tried to grab it. Zayne laughed and quickly bit into it. To his great dismay, the inside of the apple was soft and brown, and it tasted horrible! He tried to just eat the caramel on the outside, but he kept getting some of the soft apple with it.

When Zayne got home, he opened the refrigerator to find a snack. There in the fruit bin were several shiny red apples. He looked at them, but chose a cheese stick instead. "I don't trust apples anymore," he told Mom when she took one out. "The one we bought yesterday was no good. I had to throw it away."

"What a shame," said Mom, shaking her head. "It was so pretty!" She grinned at Zayne. "But you know, it's a good reminder of how we can be like that apple."

"We can?" asked Zayne. "How?"

"People aren't always what they appear to be," Mom explained. "It's pretty easy for us to hide thoughts and feelings from other people--it's even possible for us to keep others from seeing sin we're holding on to in our lives. But we can't hide anything from God. He isn't fooled by false outer appearances because He sees our hearts. Even if no one else knows about wrong things we're doing or thinking about others, He does. And if we confess them to Jesus, He will forgive us and make us clean."

Mom cut into her apple. "You can see the inside of this apple now, and it looks great," she told Zayne as she handed him a slice. "Have a piece."

–Karen R. Locklear

Bible Reading: John 15:8-11

Aunt Jan was brewing herbal tea when Leah was dropped off for a visit one Sunday afternoon. Leah happily sat down in the homey kitchen and sniffed the air. "Mmm, it smells good in here!"

"Orange blossom tea--my favorite," said Aunt Jan with a smile. She pointed to a cake on the counter. "Help yourself."

Leah got a plate from the cupboard and cut a slice of cake. Aunt Jan raised her brows. "Why so quiet today?" she asked. "You usually talk my ears off!"

Leah laughed. "I was just thinking," she said.

"Well then, why not let me think with you?" said Aunt Jan. "What are we thinking about?"

"The lesson we had in Sunday school today was about growing in the Lord," Leah said. "Our teacher said we need to grow as Christians in order to become like Jesus, but I'm confused. Didn't He change us when we put our faith in Him? I guess I don't quite get it."

"You're right, Leah," said Aunt Jan. "Jesus did change us when we trusted Him to save us from sin--we changed from being dead in sin to alive in Christ. But it takes time to grow in our relationship with Him and become more like Him." She took a sip of tea, then looked down at her cup. "It's a lot like tea," she said.

"Tea?" Leah asked.

"Yes, tea," said Aunt Jan. "The moment a tea bag is put into hot water, it's no longer water--it's tea. That's like what happens to us the moment Jesus comes into our lives. But even though Jesus saves us from sin in an instant, it takes longer for us to learn to live out His truth and love in different areas of our lives and become more like Him--just like tea grows stronger the longer the tea bag is in it. The more we learn about Jesus and depend on Him to work in our hearts, the more we grow in our relationship with Him and become more like Him."

Leah grinned. "Thanks, Aunt Jan. I think I get it now!"

–Cindy Van Schalkwyk

Bible Reading: Matthew 18:21-35

It was starting to rain. Daisy hated being out in the rain. But she had gotten into a big fight with her older sister before heading outside to walk the dog. They had yelled at each other and called each other names, and she wasn't ready to go back to the house and face her. Daisy didn't know what she was going to say when she did.

So she kept walking down the sidewalk. Her dog, Oscar, was getting wet too, but he didn't seem to mind.

The further she got from home, the heavier the rain came down. Daisy was getting soaked now and wondered if it had been a good idea to stay out so long. What if she got sick? She'd better turn around and go home.

Daisy tugged on Oscar's leash and got him to jog with her back to the house.

"Where were you?" her sister Violet asked as soon as she stepped through the door.

Was her sister still angry with her? Daisy bit her bottom lip. "We were walking."

"You're soaking wet." Violet frowned. "Go take a bath and warm up. I'll deal with Oscar."

Daisy handed her the dog's leash and hurried to do as she was told.

After a nice warm shower, Daisy dressed in some dry clothes and made her way to the kitchen, where she could hear her sister moving about.

"Here." Violet set a steaming mug in front of her. "I made you hot chocolate."

"Thanks." Daisy put her hands around the mug but didn't sip yet. "You're not mad anymore?"

"No." Violet sighed. "I'm sorry. We always fight, and then when something happens like you go wandering out in the rain, I regret everything I said."

"I regret everything I said too," Daisy said. "I hate fighting with you."

Violet nodded. "At least we can say we're sorry and forgive each other. And God forgives us too."

"No matter how many times we fight," Daisy said.

"Or what we do." Violet smiled. "We can always forgive each other and count on God's forgiveness so that we can start over again."

–Bethany Acker

Bible Reading: Acts 3:18-21; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Marilyn gazed at her dad as he dozed in the hospital bed. She hated the atrocious yellow hospital gown and the tubes that went into his chest. He was supposed to be strong, but here he just looked tired and weary.

"How much longer will he be here?" Marilyn asked Mom hesitantly. She desperately wanted Dad home.

A deep sigh came from her mom. She rubbed her forehead. "I don't know, honey. The doctor is unsure."

Marilyn bit her lip. "Doesn't God want Dad to be healed?"

Mom took Marilyn's hand in her own, and Marilyn leaned into the warm touch in the otherwise cold and bare room. "God loves us and your dad so much, Marilyn--more than we could ever comprehend. He doesn't want us to be sick or suffer. God is good, and He hates our pain, but He allows it in our lives for reasons we don't fully understand."

"I hate it too." Marilyn glanced at Dad again as he slept.

Mom squeezed her hand. "Every day I ask God, 'Why is there sickness?'" Marilyn felt assured knowing Mom asked the same big questions she did. "The world isn't supposed to be this way," Mom said. "Even though we humans messed it up with our sin, God is at work every single day to make it whole again. That work is called restoration."

"And He's doing this now?"

Mom nodded. "It started in the first book of the Bible when God promised to bless His people and guide them when they were lost. Then Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again so our relationship with God could be restored. Jesus also healed and fed people, giving us a glimpse of God's plan for eternal restoration. Today I see His restoration in the gifts He's given people and the ways they use them to help others--like the doctors caring for your dad. And one day, God promises to bring complete and total restoration. There will be no more sickness and no more death forever."

Dad stirred in his bed as Marilyn asked, "But what about today?"

"Today I hold on to that hope knowing that God is with me, you, and Dad," Mom said.

Marilyn smiled at Dad as he slowly opened his eyes. Hope. For now, that was enough.

–Zoe Brickner