Bible Reading: Acts 3:18-21; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Marilyn gazed at her dad as he dozed in the hospital bed. She hated the atrocious yellow hospital gown and the tubes that went into his chest. He was supposed to be strong, but here he just looked tired and weary.

"How much longer will he be here?" Marilyn asked Mom hesitantly. She desperately wanted Dad home.

A deep sigh came from her mom. She rubbed her forehead. "I don't know, honey. The doctor is unsure."

Marilyn bit her lip. "Doesn't God want Dad to be healed?"

Mom took Marilyn's hand in her own, and Marilyn leaned into the warm touch in the otherwise cold and bare room. "God loves us and your dad so much, Marilyn--more than we could ever comprehend. He doesn't want us to be sick or suffer. God is good, and He hates our pain, but He allows it in our lives for reasons we don't fully understand."

"I hate it too." Marilyn glanced at Dad again as he slept.

Mom squeezed her hand. "Every day I ask God, 'Why is there sickness?'" Marilyn felt assured knowing Mom asked the same big questions she did. "The world isn't supposed to be this way," Mom said. "Even though we humans messed it up with our sin, God is at work every single day to make it whole again. That work is called restoration."

"And He's doing this now?"

Mom nodded. "It started in the first book of the Bible when God promised to bless His people and guide them when they were lost. Then Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again so our relationship with God could be restored. Jesus also healed and fed people, giving us a glimpse of God's plan for eternal restoration. Today I see His restoration in the gifts He's given people and the ways they use them to help others--like the doctors caring for your dad. And one day, God promises to bring complete and total restoration. There will be no more sickness and no more death forever."

Dad stirred in his bed as Marilyn asked, "But what about today?"

"Today I hold on to that hope knowing that God is with me, you, and Dad," Mom said.

Marilyn smiled at Dad as he slowly opened his eyes. Hope. For now, that was enough.

–Zoe Brickner

How About You?
Have you or anyone you know ever stayed in the hospital or suffered from a sickness or disease? Have you asked God why there's such brokenness on our planet? Take heart. He sees your pain and holds you close. He has been faithful in the past and will one day fulfill His promise to completely heal and restore all that is broken. Then there will be no more sickness, pain, or death.

Today's Key Verse:
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (NIV) (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Today's Key Thought:
God will restore the world

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:1-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17

Cassian pointed to a row of cars on display at the automobile museum. "Don't these old cars look funny, Grandpa?"

Grandpa smiled. "Well, they look a bit funny to us now, but they were pretty fancy in their day." He pointed to one of the cars. "My grandfather drove a car like that when he was a young man. It came in any color you wanted, as long as what you wanted was black."

Cassian laughed. "Did you get to ride around in it when you were a kid?"

"No," said Grandpa. "It was long gone by then. I just saw it in a picture."

"Some of these old cars look brand new!" Cassian said, peering through the window of one of them. "This one doesn't look like it's ever been out on the road."

"Oh, but it has," said Grandpa. "It's very old and must have traveled many miles, but it's been restored."

"Restored?" asked Cassian. "That means it's been fixed up so it looks just like it did when it was new, right?"

Grandpa nodded. "Worn-out parts have been replaced, and the car's been repainted with shiny new paint. It's just like it's brand new again." He stooped down to get a closer look at the car's shiny wheels. "It's kind of like what Jesus does for us when we confess our sins to Him. He forgives us and makes us clean again. The Bible says He restores our souls. It's like He refreshes us and makes us brand new."

"When an old car is restored, it must look way different than it did when it was worn out," said Cassian. "But Jesus doesn't make us look different."

"Well, I'm not so sure about that," said Grandpa. "He changes our spirit and soul and attitude, and I think that can make us look different too. We're able to have a better outlook on life and care deeply for others because we know our sins have been forgiven and we belong to Him. And that often puts a smile on our faces instead of a scowl. Don't you think?"

Cassian thought about it. "Yeah," he said. "I guess so!"

–Sam L. Sullivan

How About You?
Are you feeling worn out by sin in your life? Do you need to be restored? Even though Jesus saves us and makes us new people the moment we put our faith in Him, we need His ongoing forgiveness and restoration in our lives. When you confess your wrongs to Jesus, He will restore you and leave you feeling brand new! When you feel refreshed and clean again, let it show so others can see what Jesus has done for you.

Today's Key Verse:
He [God] restores my soul. (NKJV) (Psalm 23:3)

Today's Key Thought:
God forgives sin and restores us

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

As Jesse and his dad walked through the mall, Jesse talked about how he and some kids from church had collected cans from people around the neighborhood for a fundraising project. "When I knocked on Mr. Martin's door, he wouldn't give me any cans to take back to church. He said he didn't even believe I was a Christian!"

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Dad. "That was an unkind thing for him to say. Have you said or done anything that would make him feel that way?"

"I don't think so," Jesse answered. But then he remembered something. Maybe Mr. Martin knows I'm the one who knocked a ball through his window, he thought. I was going to tell him, but the other guys said I shouldn't. They said he'd never know who did it. "Nothing much, anyway," Jesse added when he noticed Dad frowning at him.

Just then they arrived at a sporting goods store. Jesse pointed to a football displayed in the window. "Look! There's the ball I want. Can we go in and see how much it costs?"

"How do you know they sell that kind of football here?" Dad asked.

Jesse gave his dad a questioning look. "How do I know? It's in the window! Everybody knows the stuff you see in the window is sold in the store."

Dad nodded. "It makes sense that what we see out here is what we believe we'll find inside. That's how it is with people too. What they see in our actions is what they believe we're like inside. So for someone to believe we're Christian, they need to believe we belong to Christ--that's where the word Christian comes from. They need to see the love He has put in our hearts flow out through our actions. And when we fail to show His love and do something hurtful, we need to admit our mistake and try to make things right." Dad headed for the store's entrance. "Well, let's go inside and see if you can afford that ball."

Jesse hesitated. "Dad, wait!" he said. Then he told him about the broken window. "I'm not going to buy a football now," Jesse said. "I need to use my money to pay Mr. Martin for that window."

–Mary Rose Pearson

How About You?
Do your actions show people that you belong to Jesus? Are the things you've said and done today things that show the love that Jesus has put in your heart? What you display on the outside should show what's on the inside--that Jesus is in your life. Show people that you belong to Jesus by treating others the way He would.

Today's Key Verse:
[Jesus] gave his life to free us from every kind of sin…and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. (NLT) (Titus 2:14)

Today's Key Thought:
Let Jesus be seen in you

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:9-13; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

"We had so much fun!" Summer said when she got home after spending the afternoon at the beach with a friend. She plopped down in a chair and looked around the room. "Why is it so dark in here?" she wanted to know.

Her brother laughed. "Because you're still wearing your sunglasses," he told her. Summer laughed too and removed the glasses.

Dad smiled. "I just thought of something, Summer." He reached for a Bible and opened it. "Put those glasses back on and come here a minute. I'd like you to read a verse for me." Dad pointed to the verse he wanted her to read.

Summer looked at the Bible. "You mean with my glasses on?" she asked, and Dad nodded.

Summer held the Bible a little closer. The print wasn't very clear, but she managed to read it. "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." Summer stopped reading and grinned at her dad. "Seeing through dark glass describes me--it's like me reading through sunglasses."

"It describes all of us," said Dad. "For example, it can be hard for us to see why certain things happen in our lives. When your cousin Payson died last year, we were very upset--and even angry--weren't we?"

A sad look crossed Summer's face, and she nodded her head.

"We all had questions," said Dad. "We wanted to know why it happened, right?"

Again, Summer nodded. She still wondered.

"In this life, we see the things that happen as if we were wearing dark glasses," Dad continued. "Many things are unclear, and we wonder why God allows them to happen. But when we see Jesus face-to-face, we won't have questions like that anymore. We'll truly understand that His will is perfect and everything happens according to His plan. For now, we just need to remember that Jesus knows our pain because He suffered and died to save us and trust Him to work everything out for good."

Summer took her sunglasses off and looked at them. "I don't understand why God let Payson die, but I'm glad Jesus knows how we feel and is helping us through it."

–Richard S. Maffeo

How About You?
Do you find it hard to trust God when you can't see how things are going to end or why certain things happen? Jesus knows how you feel, and He promises to help you through any situation you face. You can trust Him to be with you and work everything out for good, even when you don't understand.

Today's Key Verse:
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face. (KJV) (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust Jesus in hard times

Bible Reading: Psalms 104:24-28; 117:1-2

"I'm ahead of you, Mom!" Kenzie called as she paddled down the river in her kayak.

"Kenzie, stop and look ahead of you!" Mom called back.

Kenzie slowed down her kayak, noticing a bunch of branches ahead of her on the water. "What are those?"

Mom moved her kayak beside Kenzie's. "I think it's a beaver dam. Let's sit here for a little bit and see if anything comes out."

"Okay," Kenzie replied. She kept her eyes on the dam as she took a sip of her water.

A couple minutes later, Kenzie noticed some movement. "Look, Mom."

"It's an otter," Mom whispered as the pair watched the tiny animal. "Otters sometimes take over abandoned beaver dams."

"It's so cute." Kenzie smiled as the otter dove into the water and swam away.

"God's creation is beautiful," Mom agreed. "I love kayaking. It gives us a chance to admire all the wonderful things God has created."

"We learned about that in Sunday school yesterday!" Kenzie exclaimed. "In Psalms, there's a verse that says the earth is full of the creatures God made."

Mom nodded. "Another verse in Psalms says, 'Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.'" She smiled as she looked at the beaver dam. "Both verses are great reminders that God made so many things for us, and we should take the time to admire them. One way to praise God is by admiring His creation."

"A lot of verses in Psalms tell us to praise God, don't they?" said Kenzie.

"Yes," Mom replied. "We have so many reasons to praise God. Not only did He create the earth and all the creatures in it, He created us in His own image and sent Jesus to save us from sin and give us a relationship with Him that lasts forever. He has done so much for us, and He wants us to praise Him and enjoy the good things He's given us."

Kenzie grabbed her paddle. "Let's praise Him right now by admiring His creation as we race on this nice water He made for us!" she called as she began to paddle down the river.

–Kimberly Brokish

How About You?
Do you take time to admire God's creation? Maybe you take walks, play in the yard, or look through the windows of your bedroom. He has made so many things for us to admire and enjoy. We can see God's power in creation and praise Him for all the things He made and for the love He has for us. What is your favorite thing that God created?

Today's Key Verse:
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. (NIV) (Psalm 150:6)

Today's Key Thought:
Praise God for His creation