Good for You (Part 2)

After dinner and family devotions, Caden sat down to read a book he'd gotten from the library, and soon he was deep into the adventures of a boy and his dog. As he started a new chapter, he remembered that his physical therapist had given him a list of exercises he was supposed to do at home. Oh no! he thought, and he glanced at his parents. I guess Mom and Dad forgot about my exercises too. Maybe I can get away with skipping them today.

Caden settled down to read again, but he had trouble getting back into the story. He seemed to hear the voice of his therapist saying, "Be sure to do your home exercises regularly. They're good for you because they'll help strengthen your muscles." Caden sighed loudly and put down his book.

Mom glanced up in surprise. "What's wrong? Don't you like your book?"

"Yeah, I like it," Caden replied, "but my therapist told me I have to do exercises at home, remember?" He paused and looked at the floor. "Since you didn't remind me, I was going to skip them, but she says I need to do them every day, and you told me to do what she says, so I will."

"Good for you!" Mom said. "Get the list, and I'll go over them with you."

When Caden finished his exercises, Dad squeezed his shoulder. "I'm glad you decided to obey God and do your exercises."

"Obey God?" Caden asked in surprise. "God didn't tell me to do exercises. My therapist did."

"Remember the verses we read for devotions tonight--the ones telling children to obey their parents?" Dad asked. "Since we told you to do what your therapist says, you obeyed us by doing those exercises. And by obeying us, you obeyed God."

"Obeying God can be difficult sometimes, but we can trust that everything He has us do is for our own good and the good of others," Mom added. "Our obedience shows that we trust Jesus and know that He has control over our lives, not us."

Caden grinned as he gave his arms a good stretch. "And that we know He will use everything in our lives for good!" Gordon Muscott