Bible Reading: Psalm 136:1-9

"Our room is going to look so cool!" Ivy said as she set her brush down and took a seat on the floor. She and her twin sister, Elinor, had just finished painting their room completely black. After it dried, they were going to put star-shaped glow-in-the-dark stickers all over the walls.

"It's going to be like sleeping outside!" Elinor said.

"Okay, now we need to decide how we're going to put the stickers up," said Ivy. "Do we want to do some sort of pattern or just put them up randomly?"

Just then Mom walked in. "The walls look good, girls." She turned on the overhead light. "I'm glad you're going to add the stickers though, otherwise it would be pretty dark in here."

"Thanks, Mom," said Elinor. "That light helps--it's only three in the afternoon and it's already getting hard to see in here!"

"Yeah," said Ivy. "Can you imagine what it would be like if God had made the sky completely black, without any stars or light?"

"That would be pretty dark," replied Elinor. "Do you remember when we first moved here and we'd try to find the bathroom in the middle of the night with no lights on?"

"I do," said Mom. "You girls got so many bruises from running into things that we finally had to get a night light."

"Yes, and we were sure thankful for it!" Elinor picked up a star sticker from the floor. "I'm thankful God gives us night lights outside too. The stars and moon are beautiful to look at."

"And bright," added Ivy. "When the sky is clear and the moon is full, we don't even need the house light on to play basketball."

Mom nodded. "Sometimes we take for granted all that God has created and provided for us. It's important to remember to pause and thank Him for everything. I'm thankful that Jesus is the light of my life and that He loves me enough to die for my sins."

Ivy sat up. "Elinor, that gives me an idea for how we should arrange the stickers! Let's scatter them around, but in the center of one of the walls, we form the words 'Give Thanks.'"

"Let's do it!" said Elinor. "That will be a good reminder to thank God for everything He's done for us."

– Melissa Yeagle

How About You?
Do you remember to thank God for everything He's given you? He created this beautiful world for us to enjoy and provides for our needs each day. He gave us His own Son, Jesus, who died and rose again to save us from sin so we could live with Him forever. What are some things you're thankful for today? Take a few moments to pray and give thanks to God for the wonderful things He's given you.

Today's Key Verse:
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. (NKJV) (Psalm 136:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Give thanks to God

Bible Reading: Psalm 118:6-9; Isaiah 41:10

Danae was excited when she returned home from an afternoon of horseback riding. "That was so much fun!" she told her family. "We went on a trail ride through the woods. My horse was spooked once, but I didn't fall off!"

"Spooked?" asked Dallas, Danae's little brother. "Did you see a ghost?"

Danae laughed. "No, Dallas. It's just that when horses see something they don't expect--like a piece of paper blowing in the wind--they might all of a sudden jump sideways or try to run away. We call that being spooked. If you're not a good rider, you might fall off when the horse does that."

"Horses are so big!" said Dallas. "Why would papers scare them?"

Danae shrugged. "I don't know. They just do. But if the horse knows you and trusts you, he usually calms down and you can get him to go places he'd be scared to go otherwise."

"Sounds like you've learned a lot about horses and how to ride them," said Dad. "Your description of how a horse responds when he trusts his rider is a good picture of how we should respond when we truly trust God."

Danae tilted her head. "You mean we shouldn't be afraid to go wherever God wants us to go because we can trust Him to take care of us?"

"Exactly," said Dad. "We need to trust Him in every situation. Sometimes we get spooked when unexpected things happen in our lives. We need to learn to trust God to take us through all the scary places."

"Like when Mom was diagnosed with cancer?" asked Dallas. "That was scary."

Mom nodded. "It was scary for me too. But your dad's right--we can trust God to take care of us in scary situations like that. Even though I was afraid of what might happen, I knew that because Jesus died to save me, He would always be with me through everything. Knowing that gave me peace and helped me not be afraid."

"I didn't know I'd learn all this just from horseback riding," Danae said.

A mischievous grin crept across Dallas's face. "Maybe it's time for me to take lessons too so we can all learn more about Jesus!"

– Deborah S. Marett

How About You?
What things in life spook you--what scares you or makes you nervous? When you face scary situations, remember that Jesus is with you and in control of everything that happens. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you, and He promises to take care of you. Trust Him to help you through any situation.

Today's Key Verse:
In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. (NKJV) (Psalm 56:11)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust God in scary situations

Bible Reading: Psalm 34:1-15; 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Thea inhaled the mist from her nebulizer. She felt her chest muscles relax as air rushed in. Just a few minutes before, an asthma attack had robbed her of her breath. "How do you feel now?" Mom asked as Thea let out a breath.

"Better," Thea said. "I wish I didn't have asthma."

"I know," Mom said. "But thank God we have this medicine when you do have an attack."

"Mom, why doesn't God just heal my asthma like I've asked Him to?" asked Thea. "Doesn't He like me?"

"I don't know why God heals some people and not others. Even when Jesus lived on earth, some sick people weren't healed. But we know that Jesus loved them and that He loves you because He died so we could have our sins forgiven."

"Then why pray about it if God isn't going to heal me?" Thea asked. "I still have the medicine to make me feel better when I need it."

"Remember when we took you to the emergency room during your first asthma attack?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, that was scary," Thea said. "I could hardly breathe at all! Then Dr. Singh came. He knew what medicines I needed."

"Maybe since you have your medicine, we don't need Dr. Singh anymore," Mom suggested.

"But Mom, he's in charge of my treatment plan!" Thea protested.

"You're right, Thea. We still need Dr. Singh--and we also need God. When we pray, we're asking God to take charge of our lives. God loves you and is working for your good. In fact, God gave the knowledge to treat asthma to doctors like Dr. Singh. Your medicines came from the earth He created. Your doctor isn't here for every attack, but we trust and follow his treatment plan. We don't know all the ways God is working in our lives, but we know He loves us and is always with us, even when doctors can't be. We can trust that God knows just what we need and is bringing about good, even when He doesn't answer our prayers the way we ask."

Thea sighed. "Then I guess the best treatment plan for my asthma is to keep praying and let God be in charge."

– Heidi Schmidt

How About You?
Have you given up praying for a problem that has lasted a long time? Are you unsure what God is doing about it? Remember that prayer is asking God to be in charge. Prayer invites Him to be with you and bring His power into your life. God always hears you. He loves you and gave you the gift of His Son, Jesus, who died to give you eternal life. You can trust Him to work for your good.

Today's Key Verse:
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. (NKJV) (Psalm 34:15)

Today's Key Thought:
Ask God to take charge of your life

Bible Reading: Philippians 2:1-4

"Oh man! Julie's here again?" whined Luke.

"I told Aunt Megan I would watch her for a few hours," said Mom. "What's wrong? I thought you loved your baby cousin."

"She's fine, I guess. It's just that whenever she's here, Kevin totally ignores me. He doesn't want to play or go outside. He just wants to hold Julie. What's so great about her, anyway?" muttered Luke. "She can't even do anything,"

"Let me show you something we liked to do with you when you were a baby," said Mom as she led him to Julie and his older brother, Kevin. "It takes a while for a baby's sight to develop. Julie can only see things that are eight inches away from her face."

"Really? How far is that?" asked Luke.

"That's just the right distance to see whoever's holding her," Mom replied. "Watch this." She slowly stuck her tongue in and out of her mouth at Julie.

Julie started doing it back!

"The only time it's not rude to stick out your tongue is if you're playing with a baby," Luke said with a laugh. "Let me try!" Much to Luke's delight, Julie mimicked him too.

"Let's try peekaboo," suggested Kevin.

Luke covered his face with his hands and then suddenly pulled them away and said, "Peekaboo!" Julie started kicking excitedly and huffed with joy. Then Kevin and Luke both tried the tongue trick again.

When Aunt Megan arrived, Luke asked if Julie could stay longer.

"I guess Julie grew on you, Luke," said Mom.

"Once I realized she could see me, it was fun to connect with her," said Luke.

"And that connection is important," said Mom. "Julie was looking up at you today, and she'll continue to look up to you as she grows. Just like you enjoy having your brother's attention, younger kids will thrive when you give them your attention, and you'll be showing them God's love too. He wants us to help younger children grow by loving and caring for them the way He loves and cares for us as His children."

"I guess that means I'll have to stop sticking my tongue out at Julie," said Luke with a smile.

– Kelly Bakshi

How About You?
Do you show younger children that you care about them? Do you know that you play an important role as a big kid? Babies and younger kids are always watching you. Don't ignore them--they are gifts from God! Show them you care by talking and playing with them and making them feel loved. As you care for them and help them learn and grow, you'll be pointing them to the love God has for us.

Today's Key Verse:
Don't be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. (ERV) (Philippians 2:4)

Today's Key Thought:
Care for young children

Bible Reading: Psalms 27:5-10, 14; 91:14-16

Because there was so much arguing going on inside the house, no one heard Jude slip out the back door. He ran across the yard and shimmied up his favorite tree. Somehow, sitting in the big old tree made Jude feel better--safe from things like noise and heartache. The tree was his hiding place and escape.

Jude stayed in the tree for a long time. He listened to birds chirp and sing. He watched small, quick squirrels run around the yard. The day looked better from high up in his favorite hiding place. There were no problems here. Still, his heart was very heavy.

"Jude!" called Mom from the back door. "Where are you?" Jude saw that his grandma was there too, so he climbed down and walked slowly toward the house. "Grandma wants to know if you'd like to go home with her for a while," said Mom. "Do you want to?" Eagerly, Jude nodded.

"That tree you were in must be very special to you," Grandma said as they got into the car. "Your mom says you spend a lot of time there."

"I like it up there," said Jude. "It's away from everything." He sighed. "But it's almost winter. Then I won't be able to hide in my tree anymore."

"Sounds like you'll need a new hiding place," said Grandma. "And you know what? There's an even better place where you can take shelter from the things that trouble you."

Jude was surprised. "There is? Where?"

"Any place you want it to be," Grandma replied. "It's the Lord's presence. Because you trust in Jesus, His Spirit lives in you, and He's always with you. He wants to help you and remind you how much He loves you. You can talk to Him anywhere, anytime."

Jude kicked his feet together, looking down at the mat in the car rather than his Grandma's gentle gaze. "What if I don't want to talk about it, even with God?

Grandma was silent for a moment. "Then remember that Jesus knows exactly what you're going through and promises to give you strength," she finally said. "If you don't want to talk, remember that He loves you so much He died for you, and know that you're safe in His care. He will listen whenever you're ready and will carry you through."

– Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Where do you go when you feel hurt, sad, or afraid? When you feel like you need to get away and hide, remember that God is with you. He wants to be your shelter and your hiding place. He provides comfort and peace through His Word, His Spirit, and the community around you. Wherever you are, He is with you, and He cares for you deeply and promises to help you.

Today's Key Verse:
The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. (CSB) (Psalm 91:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Rest in God's care