Read: Psalm 55:16-18 “Pick up, Dad.” Harlow held her mom’s phone. “I need to talk to you.” She heard her dad’s voice and smiled, then she realized it was just his voicemail. “We’ll try again later,” Mom said. “He must be busy with work.” Harlow sighed. Ever since her dad had gotten remarried, he was…
Read: Hebrews 4:14-16 Bryson wrote something on a piece of paper, then crumpled it up and threw it in the trash can. He did this several times, and before long he was out of paper. He laid his head on his desk in frustration. Just then Mom walked by. “What’s wrong, Bryson?” “I’m all out…
Read: Ephesians 2:4-7 Harvey threw a baseball toward his dad. “What if I do all this practicing and I still don’t make the team?” Dad grinned. “I’ll still love you.” Harvey sighed. “You’ll always love me. You say that all the time.” “God will always love you too.” Dad lifted his arm. “Get ready to…
Read: Psalm 116:1-7; Philippians 4:4-9 More than an hour after Amelia had gone to bed at her grandparents’ home, she still had not fallen asleep. She tried everything she could think of to relax her mind, but nothing worked. Finally, she slipped out of bed and went to find Grandma. “Grandma, I saw an ad…
Read: Hebrews 10:19-23 “You can’t trust anyone.” Emma sighed as she walked along the beach with her aunt. “He promised to love my mom forever. And now what? He’s going to leave me and Mom and never see us again?” “I’m sorry,” her aunt said. “I wish things had worked out better.” “He promised he…
Read: Isaiah 41:8-10; John 14:16-17 Evelyn peeked through the blinds of her bedroom window at the SOLD! sign on her front lawn. She turned back to the sea of boxes surrounding her as a tear slipped from her eye and landed with a wet splat on the cardboard. I can’t decide if I want my…
Read: Genesis 50:19-20; Romans 5:1-5 Sofia, chore time! Today we’re going to—what’s wrong?” Aunt Lori set down the buckets she was holding and gently put her hands on Sofia’s shoulders. “Aren’t you having a nice time on the farm?” Sofia tried to smile. “I just wish Mom and Dad were here with me.” Her throat…
Read: Psalms 27:7-10; 116:1-9 When Maggie stepped into the batter’s box, she already had two strikes. One more would put her on the bench. She glanced at the stands. Her foster mom wasn’t there. Maggie sighed. Her team chanted, “Two-strike hitter, don’t be a quitter!” The pitch came in fast, and Maggie connected, sending the…
Read: Joshua 1:1-9 The sick feeling in Micah’s stomach got worse as the plane lifted off the ground and lurched into the air. Everything below him was the size of ants. Not only did he feel sick to his stomach, his chest felt tight too. Dad sat next to him and tried to smile encouragingly….
Read: Psalm 62:5-8 For as long as they could remember, Isla and Parker had lived a block away from the beach. Now they were at the water’s edge saying goodbye to their favorite spot. Isla pushed her bare feet into the sand while Parker threw rocks out into the water. Tears trickled down Isla’s cheeks…
