Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 6:17-19; 1 John 2:15-17

Tegan paused the video on her phone and held the screen up as she gazed into the mirror. She had worked a long time trying to get her hair to look like the young woman's in the online tutorial. Tegan turned toward her sister. "Do I look like her?"

Sienna shrugged. "A little, maybe. Come on--we've got to go. Mom and Dad are waiting." The girls hurried out to the car.

On the way to the lake, Tegan mentioned the girl in the tutorial again. "She's so beautiful," she said, staring at her phone. "And she has tons of followers too. Lots of people watch her videos on hair and makeup and buy her stuff. She must be rich!" Tegan sighed. "I wish I could be like her. She probably has a really exciting life."

"Maybe she does, but remember that fame and fortune aren't all they're cracked up to be, Tegan," said Mom. "People who are rich and famous have problems just like the rest of us, and some of them have really difficult lives."

Soon they were enjoying a picnic lunch at the lakeshore. "The lake is so lovely," Mom said as they munched on chicken sandwiches. "Look how blue it is."

"The water isn't really blue though," said Dad. "The lake is reflecting the blue sky." After eating, they did some hiking. "It looks like rain," Dad said when he noticed the gathering clouds. "We'd better go."

As they got in the car, Mom pointed toward the water. "Look at the lake now."

"Wow! It isn't very pretty anymore," said Tegan. "It sure isn't blue now--it's gray. What made it change so much?"

"It still reflects the sky, but now the sky is cloudy," Dad explained.

"That reminds me of what we were talking about in the car," Mom said. "It's not a bad thing to be rich or famous, but if that's our main purpose in life and we idolize people who have money or fame, our lives are going to look cloudy and gray. But if we look to Jesus for our worth and purpose, our lives will reflect His beauty. He died on the cross and rose again to save us--rich and poor alike. We all need the reflection of His love and peace in our lives."

-Katherine R. Adams

How About You?
Is your life reflecting the beauty of Jesus? You may think that having lots of money or followers will give you the life you want, but the Bible says that knowing Jesus is the only way to have a rich, satisfying life. If you don't yet know Him as your Savior, trust in Him today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.) Then let the beauty of His love, joy, and peace be reflected in your life.

Today's Key Verse:
I [Jesus] have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. (CSB) (John 10:10)

Today's Key Thought:
Reflect Jesus

Bible Reading: Romans 5:1-5; James 1:2-4, 12

"My new school is horrible!" Clara said as she came into the living room. "The kids all have their own groups of friends and ignore me. My teacher's always in a bad mood and gives ridiculous assignments. I miss my old friends. Why did we have to move here?" She collapsed wearily onto the sofa. Picking up a book that was lying on the coffee table, Clara absentmindedly flipped through the pages. Her dad glanced up, about to say something, when Clara held up the book and pointed to a picture. "Look at this," she said. "It's an oyster. They're not very pretty, are they? But they can make such beautiful pearls."

Dad looked more closely at the picture. "That's true. Do you know how oysters make pearls?"

"Sure. We studied that in school," said Clara. "The oysters have a strong, hard shell outside, but they're soft and fleshy on the inside. Sometimes a grain of sand or something like that gets inside the oyster's shell. The sand irritates the inner membrane and causes the oyster discomfort."

"Right," said Dad, "What happens next?"

"The oyster oozes a liquid onto the grain of sand to ease the irritation," said Clara. "It keeps doing that, layer after layer. Eventually the liquid hardens into a smooth pearl."

"A small irritation that created pain and discomfort eventually produced a beautiful object of great value," observed Dad. "We can have the same thing happen in our lives."

Clara looked confused. "I'd love to make pearls, Dad, but I'm no oyster!"

Dad chuckled. "No, but since we live in a broken world, we have suffering, pain, and other problems creep into our lives--like irritating grains of sand. Yet God can use these hurts and irritations to remind us that Jesus is with us in our suffering and that He promises to restore our broken world one day and make everything new. As He uses the hard things we face in life to help us know Jesus better, He makes us able to produce pearls of another kind."

"What kind of pearls?" asked Clara curiously.

"Pearls of patience, endurance, trust, faith, and hope. They are far more precious than an oyster's pearls, and they make us shine with the beauty of Jesus."

-Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?
How do you react to difficulties? Do you get angry and bitter or grumble and complain? Or do you depend on God for help in using your struggles and problems to produce pearls in your life? Jesus promises to be with us in every difficulty we face, and He can use those struggles to help us know Him better and make us more like Him. When you face trials in life, trust Him to help you use those situations to strengthen your faith in Him.

Today's Key Verse:
Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (NKJV) (James 1:2-3)

Today's Key Thought:
Make pearls out of difficulties

Bible Reading: Psalms 40:1-5; 139:17-18

One hot afternoon, Lorelei and Brandon's dad took them to the beach. After a refreshing swim, they stretched out on a blanket under an umbrella. Dad read a book, and Brandon fiddled with a waterproof watch he'd brought along. Lorelei sat up and took a handful of sand. She brushed most of it away and then tried to separate the grains in the small amount that was left.

"What are you doing?" asked Brandon.

"My teacher at church said our lesson next week is going to include something about sand. She asked if we ever tried counting the grains, so I thought I'd try." She went on counting--or trying to count--the tiny grains of sand in her hand.

"That's impossible!" Brandon said after watching her for a moment. He rolled his eyes, picked up his raft, and headed for the water again.

Lorelei sat on the blanket, staring at the sand, and Dad looked up from his book. "How's the counting coming? Do you think you'll be able to finish the whole beach this afternoon?"

Lorelei sprinkled the sand she held over her feet. "I give up! I can't even count one handful."

"No," said Dad. "This is a big beach, and the sand is deep too. And this is only one of the many beaches in the world." He laughed. "Isn't it wonderful that we can't count the grains of sand?"

Lorelei looked puzzled. "Why is that wonderful?"

Dad took out his phone and pulled up a Bible verse. "Psalm 139:18 says that God's thoughts about us are 'more in number than the sand.' That means more than all the grains of sand in the whole world," said Dad. "Just think of that!" He scooped up a handful of sand and let it run through his fingers. "Long before we were ever born, He thought about us and came up with the perfect plan to save us from sin through His Son, Jesus. And He continues to think about us now and cares about every detail of our lives. God's thoughts and love for us are endless."

Lorelei filled her bucket to the top with sand. Then she tipped it over and watched the millions and zillions of grains pour out. "Wow!" she said. "That's a lot of thoughts."

-Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Do you ever feel like no one cares about you? The great, awesome, wonderful God who created the whole universe does. He came up with a plan to save you through Jesus so you could be His child forever. When you wonder if you matter, think about how much sand there is. Then thank God that you're so special to Him that His thoughts for you are more than all the sand in the whole world.

Today's Key Verse:
Your thoughts toward us…are more than can be numbered. (NKJV) (Psalm 40:5)

Today's Key Thought:
God thinks about you

Bible Reading: Psalm 100

"How was Sunday school today?" asked Mom as the family ate lunch together after church.

"Great," said Lydia. "Mrs. Simons always makes the stories interesting."

"Did you learn any new songs today?" asked Dad.

"Not today," Ian answered. Then he chuckled and looked across the table at Lydia. "Did you hear Ronan singing?"

"Did I!" Lydia giggled. "How could anyone not hear him?"

"He sings so loud, and if he hit one correct note, it would be a miracle," said Ian. "I can hardly stand to sit by him during song time."

After lunch, everyone went to sit out on the deck. Ian and Lydia played a game at the picnic table. When some sparrows settled on the nearby shrubs, Lydia looked up and watched them. "Sparrows aren't the prettiest birds, but I love to hear them tweet and twitter," she said.

Mom pointed. "There's a hummingbird drinking from that red flower. And see the magpies at the back of the yard? They're pretty, but they're not good singers."

"What bird song do you think God loves the best?" asked Dad.

"I don't know. He probably loves them all the same," said Lydia. "He created them all."

Dad nodded. "What about people? Does God love everybody's songs of praise?"

"Sure," said Ian. "God loves us all the same--and He loves to hear us sing even more than the birds." Ian looked at his dad. "I think I know what you're getting at. You're thinking of Ronan, aren't you?" Seeing his father smile, Ian said, "I guess God loves everyone's singing--even if they can't carry a tune. Right, Dad?"

"Exactly," said Dad. "When we sing from our hearts and praise God for saving us and making us His children, I'm sure He loves to hear us."

Lydia sighed. "Ronan may not be the best singer, but he sings from his heart and doesn't care what anyone else thinks."

Ian nodded. "Ronan, I criticize you no more," he said dramatically.

Lydia looked at the sparrows again. "His eye is on the sparrow," she sang softly, "and I know He watches me."

-Vera M. Hutchcroft

How About You?
When you sing songs of worship, do you sing from your heart? Do you think about the words you sing and offer them to God out of gratitude for all He's done for you? God loves genuine songs of praise. Perhaps He gave you a beautiful voice. If so, use it for His glory by singing to Him. But even if you don't have a gifted singing voice, you can sing anyway! He loves to hear His children's songs of praise.

Today's Key Verse:
Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; oh, sing praises to the Lord. (NKJV) (Psalm 68:32)

Today's Key Thought:
God loves to hear songs of praise

Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1; Isaiah 40:31; Galatians 6:9

Every day after work, Dad would walk to Spencer's school and together they'd walk home, past the city baseball park. On Fridays the ballpark was bursting with noise from a city baseball game. Spencer wanted to see what was happening, but a tall wooden fence blocked the view.

"Can we go in, Dad?" Spencer asked one day.

"The game's almost over now," said Dad. "Let's wait until we can see a whole game."

Then Spencer noticed something. "I can see second base through this knothole." From another knothole, he could see third base. "But now I can't see second base anymore. No fair!"

Then Dad said, "There's a bigger knothole up ahead. Go check it out."

Spencer ran to it. "Dad! The batter just made it to second base!"

"Can you see home plate?"

"No," Spencer said, disappointed. "I can still only see part of the action."

"Knotholes are like that," Dad said. "When I was a kid, your grandpa used to tell me that life is like a knothole."

Spencer made a face. "What does that mean?"

"It means we only see what's right in front of us, even though we may wish we could see more--like during the pandemic when my company shut down. I was worried, but I didn't need to be because God could see what lay ahead."

"So, it's like God sees the ballgame from inside the ballpark," said Spencer.

"Yes, but even better than that, because He already knows how it will end. God had a better job waiting for me, but more importantly, He promises to make everything better one day. Jesus died and rose again so we could live with Him forever in a world free of sin and death." As they continued walking, Dad said, "Hey, next Friday I get off work early. I'll buy tickets and we can actually go to the game."

Waiting a whole week was hard for Spencer. But when the day came, it was just like Dad promised. They saw the game from beginning to end from good seats as they feasted on hot dogs.

"Was it worth the wait?" Dad asked.

"Totally. Tonight we had God's view, sort of."

Dad laughed. "That's right. And one day we'll have the best seats in heaven's ballpark. No waiting, no charge."

Spencer grinned. "And no knotholes!"

-Teresa Ambord

How About You?
Does not knowing what the future holds ever make you feel worried or anxious? We all feel that way sometimes, but God alone knows the future. Our job is to trust Him. Jesus promises to help us through any difficulties we face and to one day make everything right. His plans for us are good. Give your worries to Him as you wait for the wonderful future He has promised.

Today's Key Verse:
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (NIV) (Psalm 27:14)

Today's Key Thought:
Wait on the Lord