Judson locked his model rocket's engine into place. Next, he would connect the igniter. He looked across the field, where Mom and two-year-old Kassidy fed the chickens. Good. They were far from the launch pad. Dad was mowing the fence line, so he was in the safe zone too.
Kassidy's giggles carried over the lawnmower's engine. Judson smiled. His baby sister got into his stuff, but he didn't mind--too much. When he felt impatient, he remembered the cancer.
Swallowing hard at the thought of Kassidy's chemo appointment tomorrow, and how the doctors would put needles in her again, Judson grabbed the ignition switch. He put a safe distance between himself and the rocket.
"Ready to launch!" Judson called to Mom. She waved and gave a thumbs-up. He counted down from five and--WHOOSH! The rocket blasted into the clouds.
When the parachute swirled into sight, Judson tried to follow the rocket's path, but he lost it. Where did it go? he wondered. In the back field somewhere? I might never find it!
Judson hadn't noticed that Dad had shut off the lawnmower, but now Dad ran across the field, yelling, "I've got it!" Soon after wading into the tall grass, Dad lifted the rocket over his head like a trophy.
After supper, Judson helped Mom wash dishes. "I don't want Kassidy to get chemo," he said. "She cries and gets sick, and it's just bad."
Mom looked sad. "I know."
"Doesn't God care?" asked Judson.
Mom handed him a plate to dry. "God sees us, and He cares. Remember how you almost lost your rocket today?"
"Yeah, but Dad got it."
"Even when you watched it so closely, you didn't see where it landed. But Dad did. God sees us no matter what we're facing. He is always with us."
Judson looked down at the plate in his hand. "But Kassidy's still sick."
As Kassidy's giggles filled their small house, Mom hugged Judson. "Kassidy is God's little rocket. He won't let her out of His sight. Jesus is with Kassidy--and us--even during chemo."
Judson remembered Dad running after the rocket and pictured Jesus running after Kassidy. The thought made him smile.
-Mahala Van Russell
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you ever had something bad happen to you? Sometimes, when bad things happen, we get mad at God or feel like He has abandoned us. When you feel this way, tell Him exactly how you feel. Jesus can take it! He loves us so much that He became human and experienced what our suffering is like, dying and rising again to beat sin and death. He is with us no matter what, and He promises to return to make all things new one day—free from sin, death, and suffering.
TODAY'S KEY VERSE: Matthew 10:29 (KJV)
What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. (NLT)