Bible Reading: Matthew 6:26; 10:29-31

"Ouch!" yelled Violet, tripping headlong into a pile of boxes that lined the hallway. Moving day was only five days away, and the house was a mess. She slowly untangled herself and got to her feet. "I hate moving," she said. "I don't want to leave my friends. I especially don't want to go to another school!"

Mom sighed. "I know, honey," she said, "but we've prayed about it, and your dad and I think this is God's will for our family right now."

"But it's so hard," Violet said as she blinked back tears.

Mom wrapped her arms around her daughter. "I know--it's hard for all of us. But we can trust God even when we don't understand." Mom pointed toward the window. "Do you see that sparrow on the feeder in the backyard, Violet?"

Violet sniffed. "Yes."

"A sparrow is just a tiny little bird," said Mom. "There are millions of them. No one pays much attention to a sparrow. But Jesus said God takes care of those little birds--He even knows when each one dies. He reminds us that He loves us and values us much more than the sparrows. That's one reason we know He'll take good care of us."

"Then…do you think God will help me make new friends?" Violet asked.

"I'm sure He will," Mom replied. "He knows you need friends. Have you talked to Him about it?"

Violet shook her head. "No, but I will."

"Good," said Mom. "Jesus cares about you and understands what you're going through. He knows how hard it is to move to a new place--after all, He left heaven and came to earth as a human to die for our sins!"

Violet smiled. "That was probably the biggest move in history, wasn't it?"

"It was!" Mom agreed. "You can talk to Him anytime and bring your worries to Him in prayer. He understands, and He'll be with you at your new school and help you be a friend to others."

Violet wiped her eyes. "Okay. I'll remember that." She smiled and picked up an empty box. "I think I'll go tell Him how I'm feeling while I pack some more of my things!"

-Toni VandenAkker

How About You?
Are you facing something difficult in your life? Perhaps you're starting a new school, or your family situation has changed. Remember that God loves you and promises to take care of you. Jesus understands what you're going through and wants to help you, so tell Him about your worries. He cares about you and promises to be with you in everything you face.

Today's Key Verse:
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (NLT) (1 Peter 5:7)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus cares and understands

Bible Reading: Revelation 20:11-15

"Let's see, Mrs. Garcia ordered four boxes of chocolate chip cookies, Aunt Katie wants one box of oatmeal raisin and one box of double chocolate delight, and Mrs. Jones gets three boxes of sugar cookies," Lina murmured to herself. She was taking part in a fundraiser for her school and had sold cookies to several families in her neighborhood. Lina carefully finished filling out her order form and took it to school the next day.

When the cookies arrived, Lina double-checked the boxes with her list to make sure the orders were right. Then she went to deliver the cookies to the people who had ordered them.

When Lina stopped at the Garcias' home, Mrs. Garcia came to the door. "Here you are," said Lina. "Four boxes of chocolate chip cookies."

"Hooray! Cookies!" exclaimed the Garcias' young son, Jorge. He eagerly took a cookie from a box Mrs. Garcia had just opened.

As Lina got back on her bike, a little boy came running up to her from the house next door. "Oh!" he exclaimed when he saw what she had. "I want cookies too!"

Lina knew the boy well. His family attended the same church as her family. "I'm sorry, Nathan," she said after checking her list, "but I don't see your family's name here." She smiled at him. "I'm still taking orders, so ask your mom or dad if they'd like to buy some cookies."

Nathan's dad was working in the yard, and he walked over. "I heard that," he said, "and we'd like to buy some, wouldn't we, Nathan?" Nathan nodded eagerly.

"All right!" said Lina. "Then your name will be on my next list, Nathan, and you'll get cookies too."

"Your list of names makes me think of Pastor Holt's message last week," said Nathan's dad. "Remember it? Pastor Holt reminded us that one day, we will all face God. He'll look to see if our names are written in heaven. They need to be on God's list in the Book of Life."

"And if they are, we get to spend eternity with Him," said Lina. She smiled at Nathan. "That's one list you want to be sure your name is on!"

Nathan grinned at her. "It already is," he said, "because I trusted Jesus to be my Savior!"

-Holly F. Cepeda

How About You?
Is your name on God's list? That's a very important question, because only those whose names are written in heaven will spend eternity with Jesus. The time to trust Him is today--right now! Admit your sin and trust Him to save you. Then your name will be written in the Book of Life in heaven. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
Rejoice because your names are written in heaven. (NKJV) (Luke 10:20)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust Jesus and be on God's list

Bible Reading: Psalm 33:4-9; John 16:33

"Ow!" Ian wailed as his mom rubbed a baking soda mixture on a bee sting. "It still hurts! Why did God make bees, anyway?"

"I didn't hear you complaining when you were spreading honey on your toast this morning," said Mom. "But hang on--I'll get you some ice to hold on the sting. That will help it stop hurting."

Ian sighed. "I guess bees are useful," he said when Mom brought the ice. "But I wish they didn't have stingers." Ian frowned. "I don't see why God made some other things either--like volcanoes or earthquakes."

"Well, think of it this way," said Mom. "Remember the farm we visited last year where the bees were building hives and making honey?"

"Yeah," Ian said. "It was fun to see all the cool things bees can do. They're really smart!"

"Yes, they are," said Mom. "But do you think bees could build a skyscraper?"

Ian grinned. "Of course not. But neither could we, Mom!"

Mom laughed. "True, but there are engineers and builders and other people who know how to build them. Do you think if they explained how to build a skyscraper, bees could build one?"

Ian shook his head. "They're just tiny little bugs, and we're humans. You know they can't understand the things we do or say."

Mom nodded. "And compared to God, we're just tiny little humans, so how can you expect us to understand everything He does?"

"You mean, we're just like tiny little bugs to God?" asked Ian, sounding rather shocked.

"No--we mean much more to Him than that," Mom said. "We're very important to God. He created us in His image and blessed us with many amazing abilities, but we're not equal to Him. Many things He allows to happen won't make sense to us, but we can trust Him because He is good and knows what He's doing. Jesus came into our broken world to die for us so we could be saved, and He promises to put an end to suffering and death one day. Even though we don't always understand God's ways, we can trust Him because everything He does is good."

Ian nodded. "And even though they sometimes sting, bees do lots of good things too."

-Heather M. Tekavec

How About You?
Do you wonder why God created certain things or allows some things to happen? The Bible says God created everything to be good, but when sin entered the world, it became broken. As a result, we experience pain and death in this world--and so did Jesus when He came to save us. We may not understand everything God does or allows, but we can trust Him because He is good.

Today's Key Verse:
You [God] are good, and what you do is good. (NIV) (Psalm 119:68)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust God when you don't understand

Bible Reading: Psalm 19:1-4; Isaiah 40:26

"Wow, look at all the stars, Cory!" Sam exclaimed, pointing up at the sky. "It's the perfect night for stargazing."

"I've never seen so many stars before," Cory said. "The city lights from street lamps and buildings block out most of the stars where I live."

"I'm so glad you came to my house for the weekend, but I wish you could stay longer," Sam said. "There's no way we'll be able to do everything we planned. It feels like so long since we saw each other!" Cory had moved to Toronto a few months before, and this was the first time he had been able to see his friend again.

"What's it like living in a big city?" asked Sam. "You must have tons of new friends now. There are so many people!"

"Not really," Cory replied. "You can feel just as lonely when you're in a crowd in the city. I made some friends at my new church and school, but I still miss my friends here."

"I know how you feel," Sam said. "I'll miss you again at school on Monday." Sam sighed. "The universe is so big. I know the Bible says God is always with us, but it doesn't feel like it. I still get lonely."

Cory thought for a moment. Then he said, "Well, even when I feel lonely in our new house, I know I'm not alone. I guess it's kind of like the stars."

"How?" asked Sam.

"Even when we can't see the stars, like when it's daytime, or there are too many lights in the city, we know the stars are still there," Cory explained. "And even when we don't feel like Jesus is with us, He still is, because He promises He will always be with us."

Sam nodded. "I think I understand."

Cory went on. "The Bible says God created everything--the stars and us too. And even though there are billions of stars and billions of people, there's a verse that says God knows the number of stars in the sky and knows them each by name. And we're even more important to Him than stars--Jesus died for us! He cares for us and doesn't forget about us."

"Thanks, Cory." Sam smiled. "I'll remember that at school on Monday."

-Abby Ciona

How About You?
Do you ever feel lonely? Even though there are billions of people in the world, God knows you by name. He loves us all so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to save us from sin, and He promises to always be with those who trust in Him. If you know Jesus, He is with you, even when it doesn't feel like it. You are important to Him.

Today's Key Verse:
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. (NIV) (Psalm 147:4)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus is always with you

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:23-24; Romans 12:17-19; Colossians 3:13

Alayna placed two fluffy pillows on a chair and turned to survey her bedroom.

"It was so much fun fixing up this room!" she said. "The curtains and quilt we made are so pretty, and they look so good with the new paint. Even my old furniture looks nice since we refinished it. I'm glad we decided to save money by doing it ourselves instead of buying all new stuff."

"Do-it-yourself jobs are hard work, but it's so satisfying to see what you've accomplished, isn't it?" said Mom as she looked around the room. "Why don't you call Victoria and invite her to come over? I'm sure she'd enjoy seeing your room."

"She wouldn't come," said Alayna. "We're not speaking to each other."

"You aren't?" Mom raised her eyebrows. "What happened?"

"She got mad because I didn't sit with her at lunch yesterday. I would have, but Lily asked me to eat with her. Victoria said that was mean of me, and now she won't talk to me!" Tears filled Alayna's eyes. "I even prayed about it. I asked God to make her apologize to me, but she hasn't."

"Maybe God wants you to apologize to Victoria," Mom said.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Alayna exclaimed.

"Are you sure? Why didn't you ask Victoria to join you and Lily? She probably thought you didn't want to eat with her, and that hurt her feelings." Mom paused. "We often want God to take care of our problems when there's something He expects us to do for ourselves. One thing He wants us to do is to go to the person we have a problem with and try to work it out--even if it's not our fault."

"But it's so hard to do!" said Alayna.

"I know," said Mom. "Settling differences with someone is a hard do-it-yourself job, but the results are worth the effort. And you won't really be doing it by yourself--Jesus will be with you. Remember that He has love and compassion for both you and Victoria as you try to see things from her perspective."

"Okay. I'll talk to her," Alayna said.

A little later, Victoria came over to see Alayna's room. Mom smiled when she heard Alayna say, "Do-it-yourself jobs are hard, but they're worth it."

-Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?
Are you not getting along with someone? God says you should go to that person--even if the problem isn't your fault--and do what you can to renew your friendship. Go humbly, recognizing that fault often lies on both sides. Be willing to apologize for your part in the disagreement. Remember that Jesus loves that person, just like He loves you, and try to see things from their angle. It's not easy, but it's worth the effort.

Today's Key Verse:
If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. (NIV) (Matthew 18:15)

Today's Key Thought:
Do your part to settle differences