Bible Reading: Proverbs 17:27-28; 18:13

"Don't quit yet!" Jill begged her friend, but Elsie sat down and began unlacing her skates, saying she was cold. "It's not that cold!" said Jill. Elsie didn't answer, and Jill went back out on the ice.

"Hey, Jill!" called Mila as she skated by. "My mom is driving some of us to the coffee shop down the street for hot chocolate. Do you and Elsie want to go?"

"I'll check," said Jill. She spun around and returned to where Elsie was sitting. "Let's go with Mila to get some hot chocolate at the coffee shop--it will be nice and warm there!" But Elsie wasn't interested. Jill sighed. I wish I had come skating with somebody else, she thought. She's no fun at all today!

When Jill got home, her mother was stirring a mixture in a bowl. "Oh, yum!" said Jill. "Cheesecake!" She picked up a spoon her mother had been using and quickly took a lick. "Ew!" she said, making a face. "What is this? I thought it was cream cheese."

Mom laughed. "It's shortening. You jumped to a conclusion without learning the facts again." Jill knew she often did that.

As Mom continued working, Jill told her about the problem with Elsie. "I think she's just looking for attention," said Jill.

"Are you sure you haven't jumped to another wrong conclusion?" asked Mom. "Maybe something is bothering Elsie and she needs a patient, understanding friend to listen to her and see what's wrong."

Jill just shrugged. "If something's wrong, why wouldn't she just tell me?"

That evening, Mom came into Jill's room. "Jill, I talked with Elsie's mom a few minutes ago. Elsie's dad left home yesterday."

"He did?" said Jill. "Where did he go?"

"They don't know. Elsie's mom said he has a problem with alcohol and disappears occasionally. I thought you should know so you can pray for them and be there for Elsie."

"Oh no," said Jill. "I did jump to conclusions again! No wonder Elsie was quiet today. When I see her tomorrow, I'll make sure she knows I'm her friend. And I'll pray for her--and for her dad!"

"I will too," said Mom. "And I'll pray that Elsie will see the love of Jesus in the way you care for her as your friend."

–Linda Weddle

Bible Reading: Philippians 2:3-8

Tristan beamed as he picked up a shoe from the display table. "This is the kind I want, Mom! All the guys are getting shoes like this. The special soles reduce the pounding you get from the gym floor." Tristan imagined what his friends would say if he showed up at practice wearing these shoes. He looked at his mother hopefully, but she was moving away.

"How about this one?" Mom held up a shoe similar to the one Tristan was holding.

Tristan made a face and shook his head. "Nobody buys that brand."

Mom sighed in exasperation. "Tristan, I want to buy shoes you like, but I'm not going to pay a lot of money just so you can have a certain brand."

"But I don't want any other shoes!"

"Then you can get along with your old ones," Mom said, and she hurried him out of the store.

"Who was at the door?" asked Mom later that night as she was cooking dinner.

"It was Joey," Tristan said with a scowl. "He just came to show off his new skateboard. He just got one a few months ago, but he bought another one. He just got it to impress the guys."

Mom looked surprised. "So we shouldn't buy things just to impress others?"

Puzzled, Tristan shook his head. "Of course not."

"But weren't you wanting to do the same thing with those shoes today?" asked Mom. "Didn't you want that brand just to impress other kids?"

Tristan looked at the floor. "Well…maybe."

Mom sighed. "I understand what it's like to want nice things, Tristan. But when we want to get things just to impress others, we need to remember where our worth comes from. People's opinions of us can change from one day to the next--they're fleeting, just like the things we own, which will eventually wear out or get lost or broken. But God's opinion of us never changes. Our value comes from the love He showed us by sending Jesus to save us from sin."

Mom put a hand on Tristan's shoulder. "Instead of trying to impress people with what you have, let them know you by the way you treat them and show them God's love. They should know you by your heart, not your shoes."

–Cynthia Y. Powell

Bible Reading: James 4:4-8; 1 Peter 5:8-10

Braelyn dropped her fishline over the side of the boat and watched the bait sink into the water. "That worm squirming on my hook looks so gross! How could a fish possibly want to eat it?"

Dad chuckled. "It doesn't look very appealing to us, but to a fish, it's food."

"I'd rather starve!" said Braelyn.

Dad smiled. "You might look at it differently if you were a fish."

Braelyn's brother Judson cast his line across the water. "The fish don't notice the sharp hook hidden inside the yummy-looking worms. All they think about is how good the worm will taste. They don't think about what might happen after they bite."

"I guess not," said Braelyn. "If they knew they'd get hooked, they wouldn't bite, no matter how juicy the worm looked."

"Maybe not, but they might," said Dad. "Sometimes we can be like fish."

Braelyn grimaced. "You won't ever see me biting on a worm!"

Dad laughed. "No, not a worm. But what about some other kind of bait? I'm thinking of times when there's something we really want to do, but we know it's wrong. You could say that Satan baits a hook with things that tempt us to make bad decisions."

"So it's like Satan is fishing for us?" asked Judson.

"Something like that," said Dad. "He likes to trick us by tempting us with things that look good. Unfortunately, it's easy to fall for his bait and end up making sinful choices that go against God and who He calls us to be as His children."

A faint tug came from Braelyn's line, and she gasped. She reeled in a small bluegill and held it up. "Do I have to let it go?"

Reaching for the fish's mouth, Dad said, "Let's give this fish a second chance."

"Hey, that's like what Jesus does for us!" Judson exclaimed.

"You're right!" said Dad. "Jesus died on the cross and rose again to free us from the power of sin and Satan. That means we can resist Satan's bait. And when we do sin, Jesus will always forgive us."

"Next time I'm tempted to do something wrong, I'll remember these fish," said Braelyn. "And even if I get hooked, I know that Jesus will give me a second chance!"

–Chip Montgomery

Bible Reading: Psalm 95:1-7; James 1:17

Stella trudged quietly home from the school bus stop. After three weeks of living with Grandma Ruth, Stella still hadn't made any friends on her new bus. Grandma Ruth kept reminding her that it takes time to build friendships.

"I'm home, Grandma Ruth!" Stella called, opening the door to their apartment.

"I have something to show you, sweetie!"

Stella hung her backpack on a hook and hugged her grandmother. "What do you want me to see?" Stella asked.

"Come here!" Grandma Ruth steered Stella to the tiny room they had converted into a bedroom for her. On the bed, Stella glimpsed a surprise. Her most cherished doll, Claudette, lay propped against the pillows wearing a new outfit: purple corduroy overalls and a pink shirt. It complemented the doll's chocolate-brown hair perfectly.

Stella gasped. "Oh, Grandma Ruth! My favorite colors!" She rushed to the bed and cradled Claudette in her arms.

Grandma Ruth sat next to Stella. "I'm glad you like it, honey--you outgrew those pants long ago. We'll buy you some clothes that fit better. But those pants made a great outfit for Claudette! I whipped that up on my sewing machine today."

"Thank you, Grandma Ruth." Stella looked down, her smile fading.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"You let me come live with you, and you sewed new clothes for my doll. I don't have anything for you. All I can do is say thanks."

Grandma Ruth put her arm around Stella. "That's all you need to say. I love you, and I'm so happy you're my granddaughter. You're also God's child, Stella. When you put your faith in Jesus as your Savior last summer, God forgave your sins and brought you into His family. And just like I'm happy to be your grandma, God is happy to be your Father."

"He is?"

"Yes, sweetie. He blesses us because He wants to, and we don't have to pay Him back for it. In fact, we could never pay God back for all He does for us."

"So, I just say thanks to God?" Stella asked.

"That's right! We can express our gratitude by thanking and praising Him for all He's done for us."

Stella grinned. "Then let's say thanks to God right now!"

–Allison Wilson Lee

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"That doesn't go there, Jamar," Aisha chided, taking the jigsaw puzzle piece out of her baby brother's hand. "Put it here." She showed Jamar how to use the piece to complete the orange fish. Instead of doing what Aisha told him, however, Jamar put the piece into his mouth. Drool dribbled down his chin.

"Stop that!" Aisha exclaimed. "You'll ruin it." She snatched back the puzzle piece and jammed it into place. She was beginning to regret agreeing to play with Jamar. Sometimes he could be a real pain.

"Be patient, Aisha," Mom said. She was watching them from the door. "He's only two, after all."

"But this is taking forever," Aisha moaned. "I'll just do it myself." She picked up two more of the wooden puzzle pieces and began putting the puzzle together alone.

Mom came into the room and sat down beside them. "Give him another chance, Aisha," she urged.

Aisha didn't see the point, but she handed a piece to her brother. "Put this piece over there, Jamar," she said.

At first Jamar held the piece upside down, then backwards. But eventually, he turned it over and put it into place. Aisha clapped her hands excitedly. "Good job, Jamar!" Jamar beamed with pride.

Aisha forgot about being frustrated with her baby brother for a moment, and together they finished the puzzle. As soon as they were done, Jamar lost interest and toddled off to play blocks.

"You know," Mom said, "watching you and Jamar reminds me of how I feel with God sometimes."

Aisha frowned. "Really?"

"I feel impatient when things in my life don't change as fast as I want them to," Mom explained. "It can be hard to wait for His answers instead of trying to force my own way. But we can trust God with the end result."

Mom turned the finished puzzle around. Aisha smiled down at the colorful picture of silly sea life. It was still a little soggy from being in Jamar's mouth, but it looked much better than the jumbled mess of pieces it was before.

"Even though we're not always patient, God is patient with us," said Mom. "He is patiently working in our hearts to make us more like Jesus, and we can trust Him to fit all the pieces of our lives together."

–Christa Hogan

Bible Reading: Romans 1:14-17

Peter raced into the house after another day at his new school. "Mom! Guess what! I made some more friends today--Mateo and Rhett! They both live on the same block as us. Can they come over to play basketball?"

"Sure," said Mom. "What about the boy you were talking to at the bus stop this morning? He lives nearby--maybe he'd want to come over too."

"Oh, that's Graham," said Peter. "He's also one of my friends, but some of the kids make fun of him, so a lot of the others avoid him too. It's kind of sad."

Mom nodded. "It's a shame they'd miss out on a friend just because they're concerned about what others think." She started slicing some carrots. "By the way, don't forget that our church program starts tonight. We'll be having dinner a little early."

"Um, maybe I should skip this week," Peter said slowly. "Mateo and Rhett will be here, and I don't want to send them home early and have to explain why."

"Why not?" asked Mom. "Are you afraid they might laugh at you?" Peter shrugged and looked at the floor.

Mom sighed. "Okay," she said, to Peter's surprise--he wasn't expecting her to say yes. "You can stay home, but then I don't want to see you talking to Graham at the bus stop tomorrow morning. Just ignore him."

Peter couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Mom, that's so mean! Graham's my friend! Why would I do that?"

"Well, isn't Jesus your friend too? A friend who sacrificed His own life on the cross to save you. Yet you don't want your new friends to know about Him because they might make fun of you."

Peter was quiet. "I guess you're right," he said after a moment. "I want the kids at school to know I'm friends with Graham, and I want them to know I'm friends with Jesus too."

A little later, Mateo and Rhett arrived. "Let's get a game going, Peter," said Rhett. "We can't stay very long--we have church tonight."

"Yeah," said Mateo. "And our friend Graham is on his way over too. You'll like him, he's a lot of fun."

Peter and Mom looked at each other and smiled.

–Cynthia Y. Powell

Bible Reading: Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 4:8-10

"Daniel, Daniel!" Daniel's little brother and sister came zooming into the room. "Will you play store with us? Please?"

Daniel smiled. "Okay, sure." Eli and Alessia often begged Daniel to play store with them, but Daniel didn't mind. Their grandfather owned a hardware store, and the kids loved to visit and see people buy all sorts of interesting things. Customers asked a lot of questions, and Grandpa was always happy to help them.

Daniel followed his brother and sister to where they had a make-believe store set up. "Eli and I will be the customers," Alessia said. She put a toy phone to her ear. "Ring, ring!"

Daniel picked up the other end. "Hello, how may I help you?" That was how Grandpa answered the phone.

As Daniel was helping Eli and Alessia choose things to buy, Dad came in. "Okay, kids, time to go to the nursing home. Families from church are taking turns visiting, and tonight's our night."

Daniel frowned. "Couldn't just you and Mom go?"

Dad shook his head. "The people look forward to our visits, and they especially like seeing kids. It brightens their whole day."

"Well, it doesn't brighten my day," said Daniel.

He expected Dad to scold him, but instead, Dad changed the subject. "Daniel, how does Grandpa answer the phone at the store?"

"He says, 'How may I help you?'" Daniel replied.

Dad nodded. "Yes, and I've heard you answer the same way when you're playing store with Eli and Alessia. It's a good way to show that you're willing and eager to help someone. Now, is there a way you could ask God that same question that's used to answer the phone?"

"What do you mean?" asked Daniel.

"In the Bible we learn that God wants His followers to serve Him and others willingly," Dad explained. "Jesus eagerly served everyone He encountered--He even sacrificed His own life to save us. And He's given us the Holy Spirit to help us love others the way He does, which means we can serve others with a willing heart too."

Daniel thought for a minute. "I guess you're right," he said. "If I asked God how I could help Him today, He'd want me to go to the nursing home."

–Carolyn E. Yost