Bible Reading: Psalm 32:1-5; 1 John 1:9

"Grandma, will you read The Princess and the Pea to me before I go to bed?" begged Alonya when she and her sister were staying over at Grandma's house.

"Oh, you know that story," said Thea. "The princess couldn't sleep because there was a pea under her mattress. Even though there were lots of mattresses on her bed, the pea still kept her awake, and she--"

"Don't tell it!" said Alonya. "I want to hear Grandma read it."

"I'll read it." Grandma took the book Alonya handed her and read the story. "Bedtime," she announced when she finished.

As she tucked the girls in, Grandma began feeling under the mattress.

"What are you doing, Grandma?" Alonya asked.

"I'm looking for peas, Princess!"

Thea giggled. "There aren't any there, Grandma."

"Good," said Grandma. "I hope there aren't any in your lives either." She smiled at the puzzled expression on the girls' faces. "The pea in the story reminds me of a time when I did something wrong," Grandma told them. "I took some money from my mother's purse. I thought it didn't matter because it wasn't very much. But my stealing was like the pea in the story. It was hidden, but it really bothered me. Sometimes I would lie awake at night thinking about it."

"Just like in The Princess and the Pea!" Alonya cried. "But you're not a princess, Grandma."

"In a way I am," said Grandma. "Our heavenly Father is the King of kings, and we're His children, so doesn't that make us princesses?"

"Wow! I never thought of that," said Alonya. "What happened next?"

"Finally, I couldn't stand trying to hide my sin any longer. I had to confess what I did and ask Jesus and my mother to forgive me."

"And did you live happily ever after?" Thea asked, grinning.

Grandma laughed. "I must admit I still sin sometimes, but when I think about what happened so long ago, it's a good reminder to always confess my sin. Then I have peace knowing Jesus has forgiven me because He took the punishment for all my sins when He died on the cross." Grandma gave each of the girls a kiss on the forehead and turned off the light. "He wants us to rest in His love and forgiveness--without any peas under our mattresses!"

-Lucinda J. Rollings

How About You?
Do you have any peas under your mattress? Have you done things that you feel guilty about? Don't let that guilt continue to prickle your conscience by trying to hide your sin. Jesus died for you so your sins could be forgiven and you could be free from guilt. Confess what you did wrong to Him, and He will forgive you. Then you can feel His peace.

Today's Key Verse:
I decided to confess my sins to the Lord. I stopped hiding my guilt and told you about my sins. And you forgave them all! (ERV) (Psalm 32:5)

Today's Key Thought:
Confess sin and find God's peace

Bible Reading: Titus 2:7-8, 11-14

"Look at all the people!" exclaimed Austin. "This traffic is terrible!"

"Yes," said Dad. "Today's parade better be good, or I'll wish I'd stayed home." He inched forward with the traffic. "A lot of cars are turning here. Looks like a good idea to me. Maybe they know of a place to park around the corner." He made a right turn, following the car in front of him.

Immediately the traffic speeded up, but instead of finding a place to park, they found themselves on a long ramp leading to a freeway. "Oh no," Dad groaned. "I didn't see the sign for the freeway! Now we'll have to go a few miles before we can turn around." He scowled at the car ahead of him. "Thanks a lot, mister. You led me wrong!"

Mom laughed. "So it's his fault?"

"What about the car behind us?" asked Austin. "I noticed that they followed along too. Is that your fault, Dad?"

Dad grinned. "Nope. They should have watched where they were going!" Everybody laughed.

"Hey, Austin, Dad sounds like you," said Austin's brother David. "Last week you said it wasn't your fault you got in trouble at the church picnic because you were just doing what some older kids were doing. At the same time, you didn't think it was your fault when Gracie copied what you did."

"All right, all right. We've already dealt with that problem, so let's not keep dredging it up," said Mom.

Dad nodded. "There's a lesson for us here though. We tend to forget that God has given each of us the ability to make our own decisions, and He wants us to do that instead of blindly following the crowd."

"Yes," said Mom. "He's also given us the Holy Spirit, who guides us in how to live in a way that shows others we belong to Jesus and have His love in our hearts. He should be the example we follow in everything we do."

They were approaching an off ramp. "I don't know about that guy ahead of me," said Dad, "but I'm going to get off here and turn around." As they left the highway, Austin looked to see if the car behind them would follow. It did.

-Hazel W. Marett

How About You?
Are you using the freedom God gave you to think for yourself instead of following the crowd? Jesus saved you from sin and gave you the Holy Spirit so you could live a life that points to Him and His love for us. Don't use the excuse "everybody's doing it." Instead, follow Jesus as your example. As you trust Him to help you live in a way that shows His goodness and love, you'll be pointing others to Him.

Today's Key Verse:
Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. (NLT) (1 Timothy 4:12)

Today's Key Thought:
Follow Jesus's example

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 31:6; Isaiah 49:14-15; Matthew 6:9-13

"It's time to dismiss our class, but before we go, let's pray to God using the prayer Jesus taught us," said Mrs. Mac. "Last week we talked about the meaning of the words and phrases. Think about them as you say them today." The kids in the Sunday school class stood up and together recited the Lord's Prayer.

As the children were leaving, Mrs. Mac smiled warmly at Ben, a new boy in the class. "We're so glad you came today," she said. "We hope you'll come again."

Ben shrugged. "You all said that prayer just now--that one that begins, 'Our Father in heaven.' Well, I don't want to have anything to do with God if He's a father!"

"What makes you say that, Ben?" asked Mrs. Mac.

Ben scowled. "Because fathers don't treat people right, so I don't want one," he said angrily, but his eyes filled with tears. "You know what my father did? He left my mom and sister and me when I was five years old. Who wants another father like that?"

"Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry." Mrs. Mac was quiet for a few moments as she silently prayed for the right words to say. "Ben," she said at last, "we compare God to many things. But because God is perfect, no human example can ever describe Him properly." Ben still looked glum. "Ben, tell me about your mom," said Mrs. Mac.

Ben's face lit up as he thought about his mother. "Mom's great! She loves me and my sister, and she takes good care of us."

"Well, think of God as someone who loves you and cares about you even more than your mom does," said Mrs. Mac. "The Bible tells us that even if a mother forgets her child, God does not forget us. I'm so sorry your dad left you, but I want you to know that God will never leave His children."

"Really?" asked Ben, hope shining in his eyes.

"Yes, really. God loves you so much that Jesus became human and died for your sins so you could have a relationship with Him. He wants to be with you through the pain your dad caused you, and He won't ever abandon you. Jesus came to save you so you could be part of His family forever."

-Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?
Has God blessed you with a loving mom and dad? Then thank Him, and remember that He is even more loving than your parents. Perhaps you've been abandoned by your father or mother. Be assured that God, who is the perfect Father, will never forget His children. He loves you so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to provide the way for you to become part of His family. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I [God] would not forget you! (NLT) (Isaiah 49:15 )

Today's Key Thought:
God is a perfect Father

Bible Reading: Philippians 1:6, 9-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

"Why do we have to wear goggles and a mask?" asked Lily.

Lily's mom covered her mouth and nose and dropped goggles over her eyes. "When we pour lye into water, it causes a chemical reaction. The fumes aren't good to breathe."

Lily put on a mask, goggles, and gloves, then stirred the water as her mom slowly added the granulated lye. "Wow! That still burns my eyes."

"It takes something powerful to change oil into soap," Mom explained.

Lily put a thermometer into the water and lye solution. She put another thermometer into the olive oil they had warmed on the stove. "The lye water is 250 degrees. That's hot!" Lily checked the oil. "The oil is only 150 degrees."

"We'll mix them when both temperatures are around 110 degrees," said her mom.

They set the pitcher of lye water in a sink filled with cold water to cool it down. Then they waited. Thirty minutes later, both temperatures were just right. They poured the lye into the oil and stirred, then kept stirring, resting every fifteen minutes.

Finally, Mom said it was ready. "See how thick it is? When I make trails on top of the soap with my spoon, they stay there."

"It looks like vanilla pudding!"

Mom stirred a lavender-scented liquid into the mixture, then poured the soap into long, rectangular molds.

"When can we use it?" Lily asked.

"First it needs to harden in a dark, warm place for a day or two. Then we'll unmold it, cut it into bars, and let it dry for four weeks."

Lily's eyes widened. "That's forever!"

Mom laughed. "You need to be patient--like Jesus."

"What does Jesus have to do with making soap?" asked Lily.

"Think of it this way. We're the oil, and the Holy Spirit is the power that changes us. When we put our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit is poured into us. Over time, He purifies our hearts so we become more like Jesus and others can see we belong to Him. He teaches us to turn from sin and helps us grow in our faith. Jesus waits patiently for that to happen."

Lily smiled. "I want my heart to be as clean as our sweet-smelling soap!"

-Bonnie Carr

How About You?
Did you know that Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to live inside everyone who trusts Him as Lord and Savior? The Holy Spirit helps us become more like Jesus. He guides us in our thoughts, words, and actions so we can show His love to others. That doesn't mean we won't make mistakes! We will. It takes time to clean up hearts, but Jesus is patient. Trust Him to mold your heart to be more like His.

Today's Key Verse:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (NKJV) (Psalm 51:10)

Today's Key Thought:
The Holy Spirit purifies us

Bible Reading: Hebrews 1:1-3, 10-12

Olivia stretched out under her favorite eucalyptus tree and gazed in wonder at the koala above her. This was the best time of the day, when the skies darkened and some of the nocturnal koalas finally woke up to snack on the tree leaves. Olivia had named this koala Kiki. "I could watch you all night, Kiki--if you stayed awake for that long." Olivia giggled softly at her joke, aware that koalas slept for up to eighteen hours each day.

"God," Olivia prayed, "it seems like Kiki never changes. She sleeps all day and wakes up to chew on eucalyptus leaves, then falls asleep again so she can digest them. I wish my life could be that simple and unchanging."

Olivia's prayer was interrupted by her older brother Levi plopping down beside her. "Hi, sis. How are you holding up?"

Olivia sighed. "I just don't want everything to change. Why do Grandpa and Grandma have to leave Australia?" Olivia's lip trembled.

"They said God was calling them to America--their new mission field. We've been lucky to have them right down the road our entire lives. I'm sorry, Liv. I know change is hard."

"I hate change," Olivia muttered. "I wish my life could be like Kiki's sometimes."

Levi tugged on his sister's ponytail. "That would be a pretty boring life though, don't you think?" Olivia shrugged. "Remember this, Liv--everything around us may change, but God never does. God was here before He created the world, and He will remain when this world fades away."

"When we were little, we learned a verse that says God does not change," Olivia said. "'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.' No matter what happens, Jesus stays with us, and He never changes."

"Some of us are still pretty little," Levi said with a grin. Olivia rolled her eyes.

Levi stood and brushed off his pants. "Ready to head inside? Grandma and Grandpa are coming to spend more time with us tomorrow."

"I guess." Olivia tilted her head to look at Kiki one more time. "Hey, Levi? Thanks for reminding me that God never changes. I'm going to try to remember that when I'm feeling sad about Grandma and Grandpa."

-Savannah Coleman

How About You?
Are you going through a time of change in your life? Sometimes change can be fun, such as getting a pet or meeting a new friend. Other times change can be very difficult, like when someone you love moves away. When hard changes come, remember that God is unchanging. The God who created the world will be the same throughout your entire life, and He promises to always be with you.

Today's Key Verse:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (NIV) (Hebrews 13:8)

Today's Key Thought:
God never changes