Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:5-6; John 14:23-26

"I can't wait to cross-country ski!" Reuben said as his father showed him how to step into the bindings. He pressed down the latch that held the skis to his boot.

Dad handed Reuben the ski poles. "Just stay in my tracks and do what I do."

Dad set out with a step and then glide, step, glide. It looked easy! Reuben had no trouble following in the tracks his father made. After a few minutes, Reuben was feeling so confident, he wanted to have a race. He stepped out from behind his father and began cutting his own path through the deep snow. To his dismay, he could barely move. Dad was gliding steadily ahead, but Reuben was wallowing like an elephant in a tar pit. His legs struggled to move, but it felt like rocks were in his boots. Dad didn't even notice Reuben was falling behind.

"Dad! Slow down!" Reuben called, and then he toppled over. Freezing, wet snow crunched into his mittens and around his ankles. Even worse, he couldn't stand up with the ungainly skis strapped to his feet.

Dad swung around and quickly skied back to his son. He smiled down at him. "We're here to ski, Reuben, not take a nap!"

"It was so hard when I wasn't in your tracks!" groaned Reuben. "And I can't figure out how to stand up now."

Dad showed him how to kick the skis above him and to the side and then push himself up with his ski poles. "It's always hard to make your own path in the deep snow," said Dad. "If you follow the path I make for you, it'll be much easier and you won't get stuck."

"I found that out," said Reuben, laughing. "From now on, I'll just follow in your tracks."

"Good." Dad smiled. "You know, sometimes we try to forge our own path in our Christian lives too. We forget that our heavenly Father has given us the Holy Spirit to help us follow Jesus and model His love and obedience in our lives. When we're tempted to stray from His path and do things our own way, we need to remember that God has given us the power to resist sin and love others like Jesus. He always forgives us when we get off-track and helps us get back on the right path."

–Vicky Kaseorg

How About You?
Are you trusting God to help you stay on the right path? Or have you stumbled off it and gone your own way? We all make mistakes in life, but God promises to forgive us and help us get back on track. He doesn't expect you to live the Christian life on your own--He gave you the Holy Spirit so you can choose love and obedience over sin. Trust Him to help you stay on the right path and follow Jesus's example.

Today's Key Verse:
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (NKJV) (Proverbs 3:6)

Today's Key Thought:
Follow God's path

Bible Reading: 2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9

After finishing their picnic lunch at a roadside park, Lawrence and Ryder walked with their parents to look at the big map on the wall next to the restrooms. "Where's the space center on this map?" asked Lawrence.

"It's in this town here." Dad pointed to a dot on the map. "And here's where we are now," he said, pointing to another dot a few inches from the first one.

"Well, let's get on our way," said Mom, and soon they were back on the road.

"I hope they let me take pictures of some of the exhibits," said Ryder a little later. "Grant would probably like to see them."

"Yeah," said Lawrence. "My friends would too."

"You know what, Dad? Grant doesn't believe the Bible," said Ryder. "He says his grandmother did, and that she was expecting Jesus to come back to earth when she was a little girl. Now she's dead, and Jesus still hasn't come. Grant says it's silly to believe He'll ever come."

Lawrence pressed his nose against the window. "Are we almost there?"

Dad glanced at his phone. "We have about thirty more miles to go."

"Thirty miles!" exclaimed Lawrence. "It didn't look that far on the map."

"That map was drawn to scale--that means every inch represents several miles," Mom said. "If we forget that, the distance will seem long to us even though it looked short on the map."

Dad nodded. "It's like that with time too. Maybe Grant doesn't realize that on God's scale of time it hasn't been long since Jesus promised to return. To people, it seems like a long time ago, but from God's perspective, it's only been a short time. Since God is eternal, He sees time differently than we do."

"How close are we to the space center now, Dad?" asked Ryder.

Dad chuckled. "There's another example of how time doesn't seem the same to everyone. I thought I had just answered that question--we're only a few miles closer than the last time someone asked--but to you, it probably seems like a long time has passed, right?" Ryder nodded. "So don't doubt that Jesus will come back," said Dad. "He is patiently waiting until the right time so more people have a chance to trust in Him and be saved, including Grant. Jesus will keep His promise to return. He may even come today!"

–Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?
Do you sometimes wonder if Jesus will ever come to earth again? Do you wonder why it's taking Him so long to fulfill His promise to return? To you, a couple thousand years seems like a very long time, but compared to eternity, it's not long at all. Jesus will come again. He may even come today! Are you ready? (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:
Be alert, since you don't know what day your Lord is coming. (CSB) (Matthew 24:42)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus is coming again

Bible Reading: Colossians 3:17-24

Skye scooped the last bit of heavy, wet snow from his driveway and heaved it to the side. As he leaned on the shovel to catch his breath, his gaze fell on Mrs. Barans' driveway next door. The snow lay in deep drifts, and her windows still had the curtains drawn. Mrs. Barans must still be asleep, he thought. She can barely get around anymore. How's she going to clear her driveway? With renewed energy, Skye walked over and shoveled Mrs. Barans' driveway too. She's going to be so happy when she sees that I shoveled her driveway! he thought as he put the shovel away in the garage. Maybe she'll bake me a batch of her famous double chocolate brownies as a thank-you!

As Skye headed out with his sled later that day, he saw Mrs. Barans at her mailbox. She was moving very slowly, and he was glad he had helped her. "Hi, Mrs. Barans!" he called out.

She smiled and waved back. "Hi, Skye. Can you believe this weather? Thankfully my nephew comes and clears my driveway when we get a heavy snow. I don't know what I'd do without him!"

"But it wasn't--" Skye began, but Mrs. Barans had already headed back in and didn't hear him. "Great," Skye mumbled to himself. "I do the work, and someone else gets the credit for it!"

Skye was still stewing that evening. "Mom, next time you see Mrs. Barans, could you mention that I was the one who shoveled her driveway this morning? She thinks her nephew did it!"

"Did you shovel her driveway just so she would thank you?" asked Mom.

"No--I could see she needed help. But it's not fair! She'll probably bake her nephew a batch of her double chocolate brownies to thank him, and he didn't even do anything!"

"People don't always get credit for the good things they do," said Mom. "But God knows what you did, and He's very glad you were so thoughtful and kind. He knows all the good deeds His children do out of love and gratitude for the gift of eternal life He's given us, and someday He'll reward them." She smiled. "And rewards from Him are far better than anything Mrs. Barans could give you--even double chocolate brownies!"

–Deborah S. Marett

How About You?
Do you ever feel like no one notices when you're kind and helpful? Does it seem like people don't appreciate the good things you do for them? God does. He sees all the good things you do out of gratitude for all He's done for you, and someday He'll reward you. Keep showing others His love by being kind and helpful, knowing that God sees and appreciates everything you do for Him.

Today's Key Verse:
Listen, I [Jesus] am coming soon! I will bring rewards with me. I will repay everyone for what they have done. (ERV) (Revelation 22:12)

Today's Key Thought:
God rewards His children

Bible Reading: Psalm 92:12-15

"Isn't Grandma too old to be teaching Sunday school?" Payton asked one day. "I mean, she's almost seventy!"

Mom laughed. "No, she's not too old at all! Her first graders are crazy about her. And she tells me she's learning and growing just as much as the kids are." Payton's eyebrows raised a little. He clearly was not convinced.

Some weeks later, Payton and his family were enjoying a vacation in the redwood and sequoia forests in California where they saw majestic old trees. "These trees grew from a seed so tiny that it takes more than twelve of them to completely cover a penny," a guide told them. "They are the tallest and oldest living things on earth. Some of these trees were probably already a thousand years old when Jesus was born."

"Wow! What makes them live so long?" asked Payton.

"The bark of these trees is sometimes two feet thick," the guide answered. "That helps them resist attacks from forest fires, insects, and diseases. And they're still growing. They grow very slowly, but they never stop growing as long as they live."

"Old, but still growing," Mom said softly to Payton. "Just like Grandma."

Payton grinned. "Well, she's not quite this tall, and she hasn't had her thousandth birthday yet."

Mom smiled as they walked along the path. "God put life into a tiny seed that let it grow up to be a monarch of the forest, and God is also working in Grandma's life. Ever since she put her trust in Jesus as a child, God has made that seed of faith in her heart grow and change her into a strong, mature Christian."

"Well, the thick bark on these trees protects them while they grow," said Payton. "What protected Grandma?"

"The unfailing love of God," Mom replied. "Jesus is always with us when we face temptation, disappointment, and sorrow. He also puts other Christians in our lives who demonstrate His love and care for us and help us learn more about Him."

"And now, even though Grandma's getting old, she's still growing and teaching others about Jesus," Payton said. "Maybe I'll call her Grandma Redwood!"

–Trudy VanderVeen

How About You?
Do you know older Christians who are still serving the Lord? Christians are a lot like trees--the older they get, the stronger they become. They can also help protect and strengthen the young saplings growing around them--kids like you! Learn all you can from the older Christians in your life, and trust God to help you grow strong in your own faith.

Today's Key Verse:
They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing. (NKJV) (Psalm 92:14)

Today's Key Thought:
Keep learning and growing

Bible Reading: Ephesians 3:16-19

Faith stepped out of the house alone with her soccer ball and sighed. Ever since her brothers had been born, her parents were always distracted. The twins always needed something, and it didn't feel like her parents had any time for her.

Faith had thought it might be fun to start playing soccer, but whenever she asked her dad to practice with her, he always said he was busy.

It's not fair! Faith thought as she kicked the ball against the side of the house. No one loves me anymore.

Her uncle's pickup pulled into the driveway, and Faith sighed again as he got out. "You're here to see the twins?" she asked.

"To see all of you." Her uncle walked over to her. "Playing soccer?"

Faith shrugged. "I was going to practice to see if I'm good enough for the team, but Dad doesn't have time to help me. He never does anymore." Her eyes filled with tears. "I think he just loves the twins now and not me."

"That's not true," Uncle Rick said. "He still loves you."

"It doesn't feel like it." Faith sniffled. "It doesn't feel like anyone loves me anymore."

"A lot of people do. I do." Uncle Rick put his hand on her head. "Something to remember though when it feels like people don't love you is that God always does. His love is bigger and better than any love we can get from anyone else."

Faith rested her foot on the soccer ball. "I guess I wasn't thinking about that."

"God's love is high and deep and wide," Uncle Rick said. "No matter what people do to disappoint you or make you feel unloved, you can count on His love. Jesus loves you so much He died for you. He will always be there for you and care for you when others let you down."

"Thanks," Faith said. Thinking about it made her feel a little better.

"Now, why don't I go inside and see if I can convince your dad to play soccer with us?" Uncle Rick said.

Faith smiled. "Really?"

Uncle Rick nodded. "I can try."

Faith hugged her uncle. "Thanks, Uncle Rick. And thanks for listening to me and reminding me that I'm loved."

–Bethany Acker

How About You?
Do you ever feel unloved? When your parents are distracted or your friends don't have time for you, do you worry that they don't care about you anymore? Friends and family members may not always do a good job of showing their love for you, but there is someone who always loves you even when it doesn't feel like it. God's love is bigger than anything, and He will never fail you. When others let you down, remember that Jesus is with you and that you are loved.

Today's Key Verse:
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (NIV) (1 John 3:1)

Today's Key Thought:
You are loved by God