Bible Reading: Psalms 27:7-10; 116:1-9

When Maggie stepped into the batter's box, she already had two strikes. One more would put her on the bench. She glanced at the stands. Her foster mom wasn't there. Maggie sighed. Her team chanted, "Two-strike hitter, don't be a quitter!" The pitch came in fast, and Maggie connected, sending the softball past the outfield.

Softball took her mind off everything. When she got back home, her social worker was out front holding a bag with all Maggie's belongings. Oh no, I forgot! I'm moving today. She forced her feet to keep walking. Ever since Dad died, it was one foster home after another.

After several months in her new house, Maggie saw a Bible lying open on her foster mom's desk. The words "I love the Lord because He hears my voice" jumped out at Maggie. "He doesn't hear my voice," she said out loud.

Alice, Maggie's foster mom, came in and asked, "Who doesn't hear you, honey?"

"Jesus doesn't. When Mom left, Dad told me to pray. When Dad got sick, I prayed. Now they're both gone."

Alice put a soft hand on Maggie's shoulder. "You play softball--I did too. Do you ever cheer, 'Two-strike hitter…'"

"'Don't be a quitter!'" Maggie answered. "I'm a quitter at asking God for anything."

Alice tapped the Bible. "Look at this psalm--Psalm 116. This man had pain and death all around him. He said he was brought low, but God heard him. Think--when your mom left, who was still with you?"

"Dad." Maggie paused. "And Jesus. And when Dad was sick, he told me that because Jesus died for me, I could trust Him even in hard times."

Alice nodded. "Psalm 27 says that even if your mother and father are gone, the Lord will care for you. The Lord is taking care of you, Maggie. He sent you here, and we love you. We prayed for you before you came--and we're praying for your mom too. We don't know what she'll do. But we know what Jesus will do."

"He'll hear my voice?"

"Yes, He always hears you. Praying gives you a deeper friendship with God. When it comes to prayer, be that two-strike hitter, Maggie."

Maggie grinned. "I won't be a quitter."

–Laura Roesler

How About You?
Do you ever feel like you're striking out with God when you pray? Don't give up. Even when it seems like God isn't listening, He hears your prayers. He cares about your tears and your worries. He wants to hear what you have to say. Even if other people leave you, Jesus never will. He died and rose again so you could have a relationship with Him forever. Keep praying--He's listening.

Today's Key Verse:
Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! (NLT) (Psalm 116:2)

Today's Key Thought:
The Lord hears you

Bible Reading: Matthew 7:7-12

"Why does she get to ride when I have to walk?" Caden whined. "It's not fair!"

"Your sister is only two; her legs aren't as long or as strong as yours," Mom replied, parking the stroller in front of the two-toed sloth exhibit.

Caden continued to pout. "Emma gets all the attention too! You treat her better than you treat me. You must love her more!"

"Caden, that's not true!" Mom sounded hurt. "You know I love you and your brothers and sister with all my heart."

"Then why don't you treat us the same?"

Mom pointed to the exhibit. "Do you see the zookeeper feeding the sloth?" Caden nodded. "What's she feeding it?" asked Mom.

"Looks like fruit."

Mom nodded. "What did the zookeeper at the penguin exhibit fed the penguins?"

"Fish, right?"

"That's right. What would happen if this zookeeper tried to feed fish to the sloth?"

"Mom, sloths don't eat fish. They live in trees!" Caden laughed.

"Right again." Mom smiled. "Different animals eat different foods and live in different habitats because they have different needs. Good zookeepers treat all the animals differently because they care for all of them."

Caden glanced at his little sister, who had fallen asleep. "Emma and I aren't different kinds of animals."

"No," Mom replied, "but you are different people, and sometimes you have different needs. Emma needs help with things like holding her cup and turning a doorknob, but sometimes you need help with things like math homework and piano practice."

Mom, Caden, and his brothers watched in fascination as the sloth munched languidly on an apple slice. "I think God is kind of like a zookeeper," Mom said. "He knows exactly what each of His children needs. We may not always get what we ask for when we pray, but He always provides for our needs. He provided for our greatest need of all by sending Jesus to save us from sin, and we can trust Him to provide for each of our specific needs too."

"Hey! Give that back!" Caden's brother snatched the cap off his head and ran off with it, causing Emma to start crying.

"Sometimes I feel like a zookeeper too," Mom mused as the family moved on to the next exhibit.

–Suzanne Felton

How About You?
Do you think it's unfair when you're treated differently than your brothers, sisters, or classmates? Adults who care about you know that different people often have different needs, and it's because they love you that they treat you differently. God knows us and loves us more than anyone else. Even when He answers His children's prayers differently, He always gives us what we need.

Today's Key Verse:
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (NIV) (Philippians 4:19)

Today's Key Thought:
God gives us what we need

Bible Reading: Proverbs 6:16-19; Romans 6:11-18

"Be sure you check your arms and legs for ticks!" Jay's mother called as he ran into the house. It was tick season, and the insects thrived in the woods where Jay played with friends. He obediently rolled up his sleeves, and sure enough, a tiny black bug had attached itself to his skin.

"Ugh. Got one, Mom. Can you take it off with your tweezers?" He went into the kitchen, and his mother pulled out a special tick removal tool from one of the drawers.

"Ticks glue themselves to your skin and burrow in," she said. "That's why it's important not to try to brush them off."

Jay nodded. "If the head stays in, it can give you Lyme disease, right? Like our neighbor has."

"Yes, though not all ticks carry Lyme disease. But any tick that's not fully removed can cause an infection, so we don't want to take any chances."

Jay's mom carefully removed the tick, then dropped it into a cup of rubbing alcohol. She smiled at Jay. "You know, sin can be like a tick sometimes--like when a bad habit attaches itself to us and burrows in. The longer it's there, the easier it can be to ignore--but like not properly removing a tick, ignoring sin is dangerous!"

"Because it's infecting us?" asked Jay.

"Sin doesn't make us sick the way a tick can," said Mom. "We won't get Lyme disease. But it can weaken our sense of right and wrong and make us lose our appetite for doing things that show others the love of Jesus. That's why the Bible warns us about letting sin infect our minds and hearts."

"Too bad there's no such thing as sin tick removers!" Jay grinned, and his mother laughed.

"We have something even better!" Mom replied. "We have Jesus, who sacrificed His life to free us from sin. When we go to Him for help and confess our wrongs, He will forgive us and help us replace bad habits with good ones. The best thing we can do is faithfully check our attitude each day. If we ask Him to remove anything in our lives that shouldn't be there, He will!"

–Deborah Meroff

How About You?
Have you let sinful habits attach themselves to you? Like a tick imbedded in your skin, they are harmful and need to be removed right away. Check yourself daily, and when you notice a sinful habit in your life, confess it to Jesus. He paid a lot to save you from sin, and He promises to forgive you and help you live in a way that shows you belong to Him.

Today's Key Verse:
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. (NIV) (Romans 6:12)

Today's Key Thought:
Don't ignore sin

Bible Reading: Hebrews 11:13-16

Kenzie snapped one last picture of the Eiffel Tower. "It's so beautiful against the sunset!" She sighed. "I can't believe this is our last night here."

"I know," Mom said. "Though I'm actually excited to be going home."

"But this has been the best vacation ever," said Kenzie's sister, Aubrey. "I'm going to miss Paris."

"All right, everyone," Dad said. "It's getting late. We'd better head back to the hotel to eat our last dinner here in France."

Kenzie turned to follow him and accidentally bumped into a man with a touring cap and backpack. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said. The man glanced at her, said something in French, and moved past them. Kenzie giggled quietly. "You know what I'm looking forward to about going home? Being able to speak the language. I can't understand what French people say--and they can't understand me!"

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "We really don't fit in here, do we?"

"I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again," Mom said.

"And not living out of a suitcase anymore," Dad chimed in.

"Sounds like we all agree," said Aubrey. "Paris is great, but it's not home."

When they reached their hotel, they got a table at the restaurant downstairs. "You know what?" Dad said. "Our conversation earlier reminded me of something. Just like we're visitors here in France, the Bible says that Christians are visitors in the world. Our real citizenship is in heaven, not here on earth."

"That makes sense," Aubrey said.

"We don't always fit in here on earth because we're living for a different world," Dad went on. "We have different values and priorities because we're citizens of God's kingdom."

"And someday He'll bring us there, right?" asked Kenzie.

Dad nodded. "When Jesus returns and makes everything new, we'll live with Him in His heavenly kingdom forever. But we're also living as citizens of His kingdom now. Jesus saved us from sin and made us His people so we can experience the joy of knowing Him and let others know they can have an eternal home with Him too."

Kenzie nodded. "I'm excited to go home to America, but I'm even more excited for my eternal home!"

–Lucy Alessio

How About You?
Do you ever feel like you don't fit in here in this world? Do you find the things that other people think are most important are not what bring joy and meaning to your life? The Bible tells us that, as Christians, we're just travelers here on earth. Our citizenship--our true home--is with Jesus. Don't be afraid to live differently in this world, knowing that heaven is where you truly belong.

Today's Key Verse:
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV) (Philippians 3:20)

Today's Key Thought:
Christians are citizens of heaven

Bible Reading: Romans 6:5-11

Evan and James were hunting for wild edible mushrooms with their family. "Got one!" Evan yelled.

"Wow, that one's a whopper!" James said.

"Just make sure you know it's the right type," Dad warned. "You know the rule: One hundred percent sure, then take the treasure."

They mushroom-hunted for a couple hours, driven by the hope of mushroom soup. "My mouth is already watering for mom's delicious soup!" Evan said.

"Yeah!" James replied. "Mom is probably the best cook in town!"

"I don't know about that," Mom said. "There are lots of good cooks out there."

"Well, you're still a really good cook!" Evan and James said in unison, making the whole family laugh.

After heading home, the two boys stood outside the kitchen, breathing in the wonderful smells. When the soup was done, the boys raced to be the first to the table. After giving thanks, they gulped it down.

"This soup could be called new life soup," Dad said. "The mushrooms in it grow on dead wood. Though the tree has died, the mushrooms come alive by feeding on the nutrients in the wood. They're an example of death leading to new life."

"Wow!" Evan said. "I didn't know that mushrooms grow on dead things."

"I know of something else that has new life too," Mom said. "Can you guys guess what it is?"

"A caterpillar turning into a butterfly?" James guessed.

"Snakes getting new skin?" Evan added.

"Good guesses, but I was thinking of something else," Mom replied. "Me!"

"You?" James asked. "How do you have new life?"

"You two can have it too!" said Mom. "It comes from Jesus, our Savior. The Bible says every one of us is a sinner. When we confess our sins and trust Jesus to save us, our old, sinful self dies, and He gives us new life with Him!"

"Wow!" James said. "That's even cooler than mushrooms growing on dead logs."

"Yeah," Evan agreed. "I want to ask Jesus to give me new life right now!"

"Me too!" James said.

Mom smiled at them and said, "Let's read some verses together and pray."

–Elijah Goll

How About You?
Are you excited when you fix a broken toy? Are you happy when you make an old thing new again? Let God make you new too! Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead to give us new life. When we trust Him as our Savior, He frees us from sin and gives us a new life with Him. Begin your new life today by trusting in Him! (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Today's Key Verse:
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT) (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus gives us new life