Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 16:11-13

Isaiah sat at the table ready to eat breakfast. While his mom poured a bowl of cereal, he noticed something about her that felt as familiar as her ears; he noticed the silver chain around her neck with a small dice charm at the end.

"Mom, why do you always wear that necklace?" Isaiah asked.

Mom slid the bowl of cereal and a spoon across the table. "Good question," she said as she poured her own bowl of cereal. "Do you remember my grandpa, your Great-Grandpa Anderson?"

"Kind of," Isaiah said. "Didn't he die when I was really little?"

"Yes," Mom said. "When you were three. I wear this to remember him."

"Doesn't it just make you sad?" Isaiah asked as he picked up his spoon.

"I do feel sad," Mom answered. "And that's okay. I miss him so much. When I see this dice charm, I remember the way he loved me no matter what. I remember how he took broken things and restored them, like that classic car that's still in your great-grandma's garage. When he bought the car, it was basically a pile of rust. But when he finished his work, the car gleamed and looked new, and he hung fuzzy dice from the rearview mirror. These are things I want to remember, things that remind me not only of my grandpa, but also of Jesus and how He loves us and restores us."

"I'm going to think of that story now when I look at your necklace too," Isaiah said.

As he munched another spoonful of cereal, Mom said, "A lot of the Bible is about remembering--remembering who God is and what He has done, remembering His love and promises. While we're sad about sin and pain, diseases and death, reading the Bible helps us remember the past and have hope for the future."

"I feel sad when I think about Joel's little brother having leukemia," Isaiah said. "Is there a Bible story that can give me and Joel some hope?"

"Jesus healed many people when He was on earth, and those healings point to His promise to end pain, sickness, and death forever when He comes again." Mom reached for her Bible. "I'll look up some stories and verses we can read together when you get home from school."

–Rachel Lubow