Bible Reading: Romans 3:22-26; Titus 3:5-7

Rosita wiped sweat from her forehead, then got back to scrubbing the pot in the sink. She was working as hard as she could to clean the kitchen before Mom got home. They'd had a fight that morning, and Rosita was sorry for the things she'd said. She sighed and scrubbed harder. I want this kitchen sparkling clean when Mom gets home from work, she thought. That'll make up for it.

She glanced into the living room where her little brother was watching cartoons. "Hugo, bring your plate and cup here so I can wash them. And I just mopped the floor, so be careful!"

But Hugo wasn't careful. He ran in and slipped when his socks hit the wet floor. His plastic dishes went flying into the air as he went sprawling across the kitchen, milk and crumbs raining down on top of him.

Rosita gasped. "Hugo!"

Just then the door opened and Mom walked in. "Wow," she said. "What a mess."

Rosita covered her face with her soapy hands and burst into tears. Mom and Hugo stared at her for a moment before Mom sent him upstairs to wash the milk out of his hair. "Rosita, what's wrong?" Mom asked.

"I--I've been working hard to clean the kitchen all afternoon. I wanted everything to be sparkling clean when you got here because I felt bad about what I said this morning. I wanted to make things right."

"Oh, honey." Mom gave her a hug. "You don't have to clean the kitchen to make things right with me. You're my daughter--I love you, and I'll always forgive you. But I know the feeling. In fact, I used to try to do the same thing with God. I thought I could make up for my wrongs by doing something right. But it wasn't enough."

"Because the only way to make things right with God is through Jesus, right?"

"You got it," said Mom. "When we trust Him to save us, He forgives our sins and makes us sparkling clean."

Rosita nodded. "I'm sorry for what I said this morning, Mom. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course." Mom grabbed a mop from the closet. "And now I'm going to make this kitchen sparkling clean!"

–Courtney Lasater

How About You?
Are you working hard to make things right with God? Are you trying to do good things so He'll forgive you for the bad things you've done? No matter what you do, it won't make up for your sin. Only Jesus can make you right with God. He died and rose again so you could be forgiven and have all your sins washed away. Confess your sin and trust in Him, and He will forgive you. (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:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV) (1 John 1:9)

Today's Key Thought:
Only Jesus makes things right

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; James 1:2-6

"I'm not sure I can catch this wave," Caleb yelled to his uncle as the ocean waves roared. The wind was getting stronger, and it was hard to hear. Dark clouds rolled in from above, blocking the sunshine. Caleb gripped the edges of his surfboard. This surfing lesson wasn't going well. He wanted to do what his uncle taught him and stand up on his board and ride the wave, but it seemed impossible. "Uncle Luke, I've slipped three times, and my arms are exhausted from paddling! I don't think I'm strong enough."

Uncle Luke swam over to Caleb. "Let's take a break, and then I'll help you. I know it's scary, but trust me--I've been surfing a long time and know what I'm doing. Can you do that?"

Caleb nodded. They bobbed on their boards for a minute before Uncle Luke continued. "You know, Caleb, life is hard sometimes, just like surfing. When scary doubts build up, or the winds blow and it's hard to hear God's voice, we can share our fears with Jesus. He wants us to have faith in Him instead of ourselves. He is perfect, and we can always trust Him because He gave His life to save us and promises He will never leave us."

"Thanks for the reminder, Uncle Luke," Caleb replied with a smile. "Sometimes life makes me feel even weaker and more exhausted than surfing does!"

"We all feel that way sometimes," Uncle Luke said. "But when we look to Jesus to help us through hard times in life, the Holy Spirit strengthens us. Just like when I push you into the waves, hold onto your surfboard and look up, not down. Okay, ready to paddle?"

"Yeah!" Caleb replied. This time, he trusted his uncle's advice and focused on that instead of his doubts. He paddled hard and slowly stood up in the air. He caught a wave!

Caleb popped out of the water with a smile, "Hey, Uncle Luke! Thanks for reminding me that I don't have to doubt. When I'm afraid, I can trust in Jesus."

–Grace Thomas

How About You?
Do you trust in God when life gets rough? Or does your heart constantly change like the waves of the sea? You may feel discouraged when faced with a challenging situation, and that's okay. Remember, Jesus understands what you're going through and promises to be with you wherever you go. You don't have to be afraid or doubt in the rocky waves of life. Look to Jesus for the help and strength you need.

Today's Key Verse:
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (NKJV) (James 1:6)

Today's Key Thought:
Have faith in Jesus

Bible Reading: Matthew 18:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Mom, I'm really worried about Charlotte," Anna said as she sat down at the table. Charlotte and Anna were best friends and did everything together.

"What's going on?" Mom asked as she added ingredients into the mixer.

"Well, she's been having a lot of headaches lately. I'm worried there might be something seriously wrong with her. What if she has cancer or something?"

Mom plopped a scoop of raw cookie dough onto a tray. "It sounds like you've been doing a lot of worrying about this."

"It's all I can think about, Mom! I'm just so afraid something bad is going to happen to Charlotte. I can't imagine life without her."

Mom brought the tray of cookie dough to the table and sat down. "Have you prayed about it?" she asked.

"Um, well--no," Anna said.

Mom sighed. "Well, I've been pretty worried too lately. Tomorrow is your school bake sale, and I'm worried these cookies won't get baked in time!"

Anna glanced at the clock. "Mom, you have plenty of time. They don't take that long to bake--just put them in the oven."

"I guess I could, but I'd rather just sit here and worry about it," Mom said.

Anna gave her mom a puzzled look. "Mom, you're being silly!"

Mom smiled. "You're right, it's silly to sit here and worry when there's something I could do about the problem. But you're doing the same thing. You're not helping your friend at all by worrying about her. You can help by doing something about it and praying for her."

Anna knew her mom was right, and the two took a moment to pray for Charlotte. Then Anna helped bake the cookies and bag them up for the sale.

The next day Anna came home smiling. "Mom, guess what! Charlotte's mom took her to the doctor yesterday, and it turns out she's been having headaches because she needs glasses--not because she's dying from some disease."

Mom smiled. "So all that worrying for nothing?"

Anna nodded. "You were right, Mom. I should have done something about it and prayed for her in the first place."

–Melissa Yeagle

How About You?
When you or someone you know has a problem, do you worry about it? Why not do something about it instead--pray! God is in control of everything, and He loves you so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you. You can bring all your worries and concerns to Him. He'll always do what's best and be with you through everything.

Today's Key Verse:
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (NLT) (Philippians 4:6)

Today's Key Thought:
Pray about your worries

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:27, 159-160; 2 Timothy 3:14-17

The sun was just poking its head over the treetops when Savannah and her mother left for a walk in the woods near their new home. "I didn't understand what Dad read in the Bible this morning," Savannah said. "Why can't we just skip the parts of the Bible that don't seem to say anything important?"

Mom was about to reply when Savannah spotted some interesting bushes along the path. "Look, Mom. Those are some kind of berry bushes, aren't they?"

Mom stopped and peered at the bushes. "I think they might be, but I don't see any fruit on them."

Savannah reached out and lifted some of the leaves. "Here! Underneath the leaves."

"You're right!" said Mom. "Those are wild blackberries! They'd taste great on our cereal--or just as a snack. How about running back to the house and getting a bucket so we can pick some?"

Savannah eagerly ran home and returned with a pail, and she and Mom began to gather the ripe, luscious fruit. "I'm glad your sharp eyes noticed these," said Mom. "I saw the green leaves, but I didn't see what was hidden underneath them." She dumped a handful of berries into the bucket. "Maybe that's the answer to the question you asked a while ago."

"You mean about skipping parts of the Bible?" asked Savannah.

Mom nodded. "When we read the Bible, we don't always understand every important truth right away--just like I didn't spot those berries. But when we take time to think about what a verse or passage says, it can help us see how it fits into God's story of how He continues to love us even though we sin. Everything in the Bible points to God's gift of Jesus, who became human and died and rose again to save us. Every passage can teach us something about Jesus and our need for Him. That's why we read all the parts of the Bible."

"When we get back home, maybe I should read that Bible passage from this morning again," said Savannah.

"Why don't we read it together?" suggested Mom. "We can eat fruit from this bucket while we look for spiritual fruit in the Bible!"

–Judith K. Boogaart

How About You?
Are some parts of the Bible hard for you to understand? The Bible is full of poems, stories, and events that all reveal God's faithful love. Each one is important, but some can be difficult to understand on our own. That's why it's important to study the Bible with other Christians and depend on God for help. When you come across something that's confusing, ask God to give you understanding, and ask a trusted adult to help you too.

Today's Key Verse:
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. (NLT) (2 Timothy 3:16)

Today's Key Thought:
Learn from all of the Bible

Bible Reading: Matthew 11:28-30

Julian cheered in excitement at the tractor pulling contest. One of the contestants--a friend of Julian's family--revved the engine as his tractor strained to pull the heavy load. It inched along, then gathered speed to the finish line. "He made it!" Julian shouted, and he clapped along with others in the crowd.

"The next load he has to pull will be heavier," Grandpa said.

The driver revved the engine again, and it moved slowly forward. The load behind the groaning tractor was dragged at a snail's pace to the finish line. Julian shot up from his seat and cheered.

He grew anxious as he watched the workers add more weights to the next load. The driver powered up the engine, but nothing happened. Again the engine roared, but the load didn't budge. The driver hunched over the wheel as if to coax the tractor into one last try before time was up. Julian felt like he was in the contest himself, and he yelled encouragement as the tractor began to inch forward. Slowly, slowly it went, until at last it reached the finish line. It had moved a heavier load than any other tractor. The crowd went wild.

Over hot dogs and pop, Grandpa and Julian talked about the contest. "It made me think about the struggles we have in life," said Grandpa. "Sometimes our loads are almost too heavy for us to pull."

Julian nodded, thinking about the hard time he had in reading class at school. He just couldn't read as well as the other kids. After getting his last report card, Julian had gone to his room and cried.

Grandpa smiled at him. "Way back when I was your age, I found out that Jesus wants to help us pull heavy loads--the hardships we face in life. So I ask Him to help me whenever I feel like things are just too much. The problems don't always disappear, but they seem lighter when I remember that Jesus, who took the burden of my sin by dying on the cross, wants to help me with any struggles that are weighing me down."

Julian smiled back at Grandpa, knowing what he had to do. He would talk to Jesus about his struggle to read. He needed help with his heavy load.

–Carolyn E. Yost

How About You?
Does something in your life seem too heavy to bear? Talk to Jesus about it. He wants to help you with your troubles. Maybe He'll take the burden away--but maybe not. Perhaps He'll simply comfort you and make your burden easier to bear as you trust Him with it. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, ask Him for help and trust that He'll lighten your load.

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 lightens loads