Bible Reading: Hebrews 12:5-11

Stella stared out the kitchen window and sighed. "Today's too nice to be stuck in here," she grumbled.

Mom handed her another dish to dry. "You should have thought of that yesterday when you decided to come home an hour late and refused to answer my texts."

Stella continued to look out the window, pouting. Her neighbors were tying up their Great Dane. "Poor Samson," said Stella. "He's being chained up. He's a prisoner today too--just like me."

Mom looked out the window and saw the big dog pulling on his chain, trying to get loose. "He sure doesn't like that chain."

Stella scowled. "He's probably mad about it," she said as she took another dish to wipe. "Why are the Smiths so mean to him?"

"They're not being mean, Stella," said Mom. "They're actually showing him love by tying him up."

Stella raised her eyebrows. "Love! I don't see how you can call that love."

"Yesterday while I was pacing on the porch waiting for you, Samson ran into the street and almost got hit by a truck," Mom said. "The Smiths saw what happened, and they told me they were going to keep him chained until new fencing is installed. They want him safe."

Stella's eyes widened. "Wow! Then I guess I'm glad he's tied up."

"Me too," said Mom. "Samson's freedom has been taken away because his owners care about him." She looked at Stella. "In families, privileges are sometimes taken away because of love too."

"You mean my privileges, don't you?" said Stella.

Mom nodded. "You're grounded today because I love you. I want you to realize how your actions can make other people feel. I was really worried when you were late and I didn't know where you were." She put a hand on Stella's shoulder. "Remember that God loves you too. The Bible says He disciplines His children so that we will grow to be more like Jesus. For kids your age, His discipline often comes through parents who help you realize how your actions affect others."

Stella gave her mom a little smile. "I still don't like being grounded, but I'm glad you love me so much. I'm sorry I disobeyed. I'll have to thank Samson for teaching me a lesson today."

– Suzanne Daly

How About You?
How do you feel when your parents discipline you? Does it make you feel unloved? It shouldn't. Correcting your behavior is a sign that they love you and care about you. In fact, God also disciplines His children so they'll grow to be more like Jesus. The next time you're disciplined, accept it as proof that you are loved and let it teach you how to love others better.

Today's Key Verse:
No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (CSB) (Hebrews 12:11 )

Today's Key Thought:
Accept discipline

Bible Reading: Philippians 3:12-14

"Watch where you're going!" Blossom quickly reached out and stopped her toddler sister from walking into the wall.

Mom chuckled. "She should look in front of her instead of turning her head to make sure we're watching, huh?"

Blossom moved over to the sofa as her sister plopped down on the floor with a toy. "Mom? Do you think Grandma knew how much I liked it when she baked for me?" Blossom hugged her knees to her chest.

"Yes," Mom said. "I do."

"Do you think she forgave me for that time I yelled at her?"

"I do," Mom said. "I believe she told you she did, didn't she?"

That night, Blossom looked at her mom when she came to tuck her in. "I wish that I had picked flowers for Grandma more often. She liked it when I brought them to her."

"She did like it," Mom said.

"And I wish I had helped her clean instead of watching TV." Blossom's eyes filled with tears.

"Sweetie…" Mom knelt down beside the bed. "You can't live with all these regrets."

Blossom sniffled. "But I should have been better."

Mom brushed a tear from Blossom's cheek. "You know how your sister looks back when she's trying to walk?"

Blossom nodded. "She never looks where she's going, and then she runs into things."

"Well, you seem to be doing the same thing," Mom said. "You're so busy looking behind you, worrying about what you think you should have done differently, that you aren't seeing what's in front of you. You can't let regrets hold you back, sweetie. We all make mistakes sometimes, but Jesus gives us grace. His sacrifice on the cross covers all our sins and failures. Instead of dwelling on the past, we can look to the future and trust Him to help us learn from our mistakes and do better."

Mom smiled and smoothed back Blossom's hair. "Grandma loved you, Blossom, and she knew that you loved her. She forgave you when you messed up. She's with Jesus now, and one day you'll see her again. She wouldn't want you to be sad, wishing you had done things differently. She'd want you to focus on Jesus and trust Him to help you love the people who are still here with you."

– Emily Acker

How About You?
Is there anything you've done in the past that you wish you could change? Maybe you said or did something you regret, or you wish you had spent the time you had with a loved one differently. Each one of us has moments in our past where we could have done something better, but Jesus doesn't want us to focus on past mistakes. Instead, we can look forward to what He's doing in our lives and trust Him to help us love others.

Today's Key Verse:
I do not have that life yet. But I do one thing. I forget everything that is behind me and look forward to that which is ahead of me. (NLV) (Philippians 3:13)

Today's Key Thought:
Give regrets to Jesus

Bible Reading: Joshua 1:9; Psalm 34:4; Isaiah 41:9-10

Malachi timidly walked up to the roller coaster and crammed into the long line with a bunch of squirmy kids. There was a lot of shouting and chattering. He stood silently staring as the line crept along. "There's no, um, big drop on this ride, is there?" he asked Grandpa nervously.

"Don't worry!" Grandpa said. "It's a smooth ride--just one big drop at the beginning. You'll be fine."

Malachi's eyes shot open and he glanced at the emergency exit up ahead. "Uh, the line looks pretty long, Grandpa. Aren't you getting tired? Let's go on another ride."

"You're not scared, are you?" asked Grandpa.

"Me, scared? I've been on hundreds of roller coasters!" Malachi knew this was a bit of an exaggeration. The only rides he'd been on were a few merry-go-rounds.

Soon he and Grandpa were in a coaster car with bars locked across their laps. There was no turning back now. Malachi took a deep breath and glanced at his grandpa one last time.

"Don't worry, Malachi," Grandpa said as the roller coaster clanked upward. "I know it's a little scary, but I wouldn't take you on this ride if I didn't think you'd like it. Just relax and have some fun!"

Malachi gripped the bar in front of him as the coaster rounded the top of the track. As the roller coaster roared off, he let out a big shriek.

Before he realized it, it was all over.

"How was the ride?" Grandpa asked as they got out.

"Great!" said Malachi. "After you told me to relax and have fun, the scariness kinda went away! I remembered that you've been on lots of roller coasters, so I trusted you."

"I know you've always been afraid of roller coasters," Grandpa said. "You know, that roller coaster ride was a lot like the ups and downs and scary turns that come up in our lives sometimes. But God tells us to trust Him whenever we feel afraid. Jesus gave His life to save us, and He will always be with us through life's ups and downs. He helps us ride through whatever fears we have."

"Yeah," said Malachi. "Kind of like how you helped me on the roller coaster. If you hadn't been there, I would've headed for the emergency exit for sure!"

– Doug Lim

How About You?
Do you ever feel afraid? Everybody does at one point or another. But sometimes the ups and downs of life can be really big and scary. No matter what fears or uncertainties you face, God promises to be there for you. He loves you so much He gave His Son, Jesus, to save you. You can trust Him. Give Him your fears so you can feel His peace, no matter how big of a roller coaster you're riding.

Today's Key Verse:
Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. (NKJV) (Psalm 56:3)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust God with your fears

Bible Reading: Exodus 2:1-10; Galatians 4:4-7

Tayden slipped in the back door, dropped his books on the kitchen table, and slumped into a chair. "What's wrong?" Mom asked. "Bad day at school?"

Tayden nodded.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really." Tayden didn't know if what happened would hurt his mom as much as it did him. He definitely didn't want that. But he just couldn't keep it in. He looked up and saw his mother staring at him. "I guess." He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to find the right words. "In class today, we were talking about our families, and I told them I was adopted. Some of the kids laughed." Tayden paused. "And I heard a couple of them whisper to each other and say my birth mother must have given me up because she didn't want me," he said, fighting back tears.

"You know that isn't true, Tayden," said Mom. "Your birth mother gave you to us because she loved you so much and wanted you to have what she couldn't give you."

"I know, but not everyone thinks like that," said Tayden.

Mom put her hand on Tayden's shoulder. "Have you ever thought about some of the people in the Bible who were adopted?" she asked.

Tayden's eyes got big. "Like who?"

"We read about one in Exodus," Mom replied.

Tayden thought for a moment. "Was it Moses?"

Mom nodded. "Pharaoh's daughter raised him as her own." Mom pulled up a chair to sit next to Tayden. "The next one might be a little harder. She was adopted by her cousin." Mom paused. "She married a king."

"Queen Esther!" Tayden exclaimed.

"Right again. And the most important one in the whole Bible was--?"

"Jesus," Tayden said slowly. He smiled. "It was Jesus, right? God is His Father, but Joseph was like an earthly father."

"Good!" said Mom. "And when we trust in Jesus, we become children of God and are adopted into His family. So you see, God thinks being adopted is very special."

Tayden's smile widened. "So do I." And he gave his mother a big hug.

– Nancy Todd

How About You?
Were you or someone you know adopted? The word adopt means to choose to take someone into one's own family. Whether you were born into a family or adopted into one, being part of a family is special. And the most important family we can join is the family of God. Have you been adopted by Him? Trust in Jesus today and you will become part of His family. (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:
You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." (NKJV) (Romans 8:15)

Today's Key Thought:
All God's children are adopted

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:5; John 8:30-36

"Hi, Rosetta," said Mom as she set a bag of groceries on the counter. "Lots of homework today?"

Rosetta looked up from the books and papers scattered across the table. "Yeah. I have a report due on Tuesday."

"Oh? On what?" asked Mom as she started putting food in the refrigerator.

"Harriet Tubman. She was a slave who escaped to freedom on the Underground Railroad. After she made it to freedom herself, she went back to help others escape slavery. If she had been caught, she would have been enslaved again!"

"Wow," said Mom. "That's pretty brave."

"Yeah." Rosetta leaned back in her chair. "I don't think I could ever be that brave. If I had escaped slavery and was able to make it to freedom, I'd want to stay there! I don't think I'd risk going back for people I didn't even know."

Mom was quiet for a moment. "Well, I sure am glad someone was willing to rescue me from slavery," she said.

"What?" Rosetta straightened up. "What are you talking about?"

"You and I--along with every other person--were born into a different kind of slavery," Mom explained. "We weren't enslaved to a human master like Harriet Tubman, but the Bible tells us that everyone is born into bondage to sin. We can't escape sin on our own, so Jesus came to earth to rescue us. He became human Himself and died for our sins so we could be free."

"Oh," said Rosetta. "Right."

"And now that we've been freed by Jesus, we can help point others to the freedom they can have in Him too," Mom said. "But unlike Harriet Tubman, we don't ever have to worry about being enslaved again. Once Jesus frees us from sin, we're free forever."

"But pointing others to Jesus isn't quite like what Harriet Tubman did, is it?" Rosetta asked. "It's not as scary and dangerous as going to a place where you could be captured and enslaved."

"Well, it's not against the law to tell people about Jesus where we live, so it's probably less dangerous than in other places in the world. But it can still be scary. That's why we need to trust God to give us the strength and courage we need to boldly tell others about Jesus."

– Jean A. Burns

How About You?
Are you doing what you can to help others know about the freedom they can have in Christ? It can be scary when someone might make fun of you. It can even be dangerous if you live in a part of the world where it's illegal to be a Christian or tell others about Jesus. But God promises to help you. Jesus loves us so much that He left heaven and came to rescue us from sin. He will give you courage so you can boldly tell others about Him.

Today's Key Verse:
Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. (NIV) (Acts 4:29)

Today's Key Thought:
Point others to freedom in Christ