Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids and families

Read: Psalm 121; Isaiah 41:10 “Wow, Dad! Did you see those fish?” Maya’s eyes sparkled as she lifted her face out of the water and adjusted her snorkeling mask. “I sure did!” Dad said. “Those little blue ones look like some they have in aquariums at the pet store.” “And I almost touched one of those black-and-yellow-striped ones!” Maya was bubbling with excitement. Dad looked at the setting sun. “Well, it’s getting late. We’d better start swimming back to shore. Are you ready?” “So soon? Well, okay. Bet I can beat you back!” They started toward shore, but it was farther away than Maya had realized. “Dad, can we rest a minute?” she called out after a while. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Dad said as he swam up beside her. “If we do, this current may take us too far off shore. Here—” Dad stretched out his hand. “I’ll pull you along.” Soon they reached shore, tired but safe. When they got home, Maya told her mother about their afternoon. “It’s a good thing Dad was there to tow me in to shore,” she said. “I…

Read: Ephesians 4:26-32 The baseball blasted off Logan’s bat like a rocket. “Nice shot,” Jayden said. The ball crashed through the upstairs window of the Cooleys’ house. Mrs. Cooley screamed, and a man’s shouts filled the air. Logan dropped his bat. “We’re dead. Let’s get out of here.” Jayden was already tightening his shoe laces. “If we’re gonna run, it’s now or never.” Mr. Cooley appeared from inside the broken window. “Stay right there, Jayden!” he yelled. “I’m coming down. You’re gonna pay for this!” Jayden froze. “How does he know my name?” he asked Logan. The boys moved closer together as Mr. Cooley stepped into the yard and stomped toward them. “Guess you won’t have to wash the window today, dear,” Mrs. Cooley called from inside. Mr. Cooley stopped—and smiled. “She’s been wanting me to clean that thing all day, but I didn’t want to pull out the ladder. You two may have done me a favor.” Logan looked at Mr. Cooley nervously. “We’ll pay for the damages,” he said. Mr. Cooley sighed. “I really erupted…

Read: 1 John 1:5-9 Holding his dirty, greasy hands high in front of him, Dad pushed the kitchen door open with his elbow. “Please turn on the faucet for me, Charlie,” he said. “I don’t want to touch anything.” “Wow!” said Charlie, quickly turning on the water. “How did you get your hands so dirty?” “I’ve been working on the car,” replied Dad. Charlie shook his head. “You’ll never get those hands clean.” “Sure I will,” said Dad. “But not with regular soap. There’s some special hand cleaner under the sink. It’s made for removing grease and oil.” Charlie reached under the sink and pulled out the container of hand cleaner. Dad sank his fingers into the goo and rubbed it over his hands. He worked it in well, scrubbing between his fingers and around the nails with a soft brush. When he was finished, he rinsed his hands under the warm water. “What do you think?” he asked, holding up his hands for Charlie to inspect. “That’s amazing!” said Charlie. “You had the dirtiest hands I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe you got…

Read: John 15:9-14; 1 John 3:16-18 “Mom, there he is! Grab the bag!” Harper pressed her nose against the glass of the car window as Mom smiled and handed the man on the corner a bag filled with food and treats. The man smiled and said, “God bless you!” as he accepted the free gift. Whenever they went out, Mom, Harper, and Lincoln would bring a bag of food for anyone they saw who was in need. Then they would pray for the person after they received their bag. “Dear God,” Lincoln prayed, “please help this man have enough food to fill him up today, and give him a warm place to sleep tonight. Most of all, if he doesn’t know You, we pray that he would open up his heart to you. Amen.” “I bet he’ll love those chocolate chip banana muffins we made!” Harper said with a grin. Lincoln laughed. “Yeah, good thing we went out today. There might not have been any left if we hadn’t—they were so tasty!” Harper grew quiet as she looked out her window. “Mom? Do you think that man knows what love is?” “Do you remember the verse…

Read: Isaiah 42:6-7; Luke 4:18; 10:23-24 “Mom, what’s that lady doing over there?” Layla pointed to a woman with dark glasses who was tapping a small thin cane back and forth on the floor. “She’s blind,” Mom answered as she placed a bag of sugar in their shopping cart. “That cane helps her know where she’s going.” “You mean she can’t see?” Layla asked, feeling sorry for the woman. “That’s right.” Mom looked at the woman again. “Wait, that’s Rebecca Thomas! She lives down the street from us. Let’s go say hello.” After talking to Miss Thomas for a while, they finished their shopping and were soon on their way home. “Mom, I don’t understand something,” Layla said. “How can Miss Thomas be so happy? If I was blind, I’d be miserable!” “Rebecca used to be miserable, even before she went blind,” Mom replied. “She once told me that before she knew Jesus, she only thought about herself and her own comforts and desires. After she lost her sight, she became very bitter. Then someone told her about Jesus, and she trusted…

Read: Joshua 2:8-11 “Here you go.” Louis handed his sister a doll. “I found her on the ground outside and didn’t want you to lose her.” Louis looked to his mom as his sister ran off. “Grandma and I have been reading the Old Testament together,” he said. “That’s the first part of the Bible. There are some pretty cool stories in it.” “Yeah?” Mom said, glancing up from the cookbook open in front of her. Louis nodded. “God helped the Israelites by making the water part so they could walk across it. And He rescued them and helped them fight bad guys. He even made a donkey talk.” Mom smiled like she didn’t believe him. “I don’t know, bud,” she said. “If all of that was true, wouldn’t other people have noticed? Wouldn’t they all have believed in and worshiped God?” “There are stories of that too,” Louis said. “There was one woman who told the Israelites that the people where she lived were scared because they’d heard stories of what God could do.” Mom looked at him for a long moment before closing the cookbook.…

Read: Matthew 6:25-34 “Mrs. Melton sure is going to like the dinner we’re taking to her,” Kehlani said, buckling her seat belt and peeking at the rolls under the bread cloth. Mom smiled. “I think so too. Her hands must be full with the new baby.” Kehlani put both hands firmly on the warm bowl of rolls. “Mom, will I have a baby when I grow up?” “I don’t know, honey,” Mom replied. “Only God knows that.” “But I want to know. I want Him to tell me now.” Kehlani stared glumly out the window as they approached a stop sign. “Turn right at the next intersection,” said a voice on Mom’s phone, and Mom did as instructed. “Didn’t we pass the library the last time we drove to the Meltons’?” Kehlani asked, twisting in her seat to look back at the intersection. “Is the map on your phone wrong?” “No. It knows where it’s taking us,” Mom assured her. “The Meltons moved to a new house last month, remember?” “Oh yeah, I forgot.” Kehlani leaned back. “Good thing your phone knows where to go. It tells you each direction just when…

Read: Jeremiah 23:24; Hebrews 4:13 Mark and Sarah ran home. “Dad!” Dad was in the kitchen. “Did you record videos of ducks at the park?” “Sarah and I…” Mark panted, “saw…a crime!” Sarah handed Dad his phone. “A lady’s purse was stolen!” “This is serious,” Dad said. “You two are eyewitnesses. What happened?” “We set your phone on a bench and started the video,” Sarah said. “Then we put bread out for the ducks and hid.” “Someone yelled,” Mark said. “We looked and saw a guy grab a lady’s purse and run away. He never saw us, but we saw him!” “The thief ran into the parking lot,” Sarah said. “He jumped into a pickup truck and sped away.” “A red Ford,” Mark said, nodding. Sarah shook her head. “A rusty brown Chevy.” Dad grabbed a pen and paper and began writing. “What did he look like?” Mark fanned his sweaty T-shirt. “I’ll never forget him as long as I live—he had brown hair and a beard.” Sarah looked at Dad. “He only had a mustache.” “And he had a tattoo of a compass on his arm,” Mark said. Sarah pictured it in…

Read: Colossians 3:12-14; Hebrews 12:14-15 Jackson Henry! Had Dad really called out that name to be in their small group nature walk tomorrow? Nolan was still mad at Jackson for goofing around and breaking his compass on their last church campout. Renewed anger filled Nolan. He stomped off to the cabin. A few minutes later, Dad opened the door. “Come with me. I want to show you something.” Dad’s tone left no room for argument. Sighing, Nolan scuffed across the floor to the door then followed Dad down a trail. Dad stopped by a large rock and pointed toward the top of a tall tree. “See that spruce tree with the orange yellow clump on its branches?” “Yes.” Nolan looked intently at the tree. “Is it some kind of nest?” “No. The tree is diseased with a fungus commonly called broom rust. The mass created by the disease looks like the bristles of a straw broom.” Nolan studied the bristled mass. “Why don’t the forest rangers treat the tree to kill the disease?” “They can’t. Once a tree is diseased, there is no cure.”…

Read: John 3:14-17 “Wow!” Henry said as he scrambled aboard the helicopter. “This is so cool!” He and his friend Owen were taking a helicopter ride with Owen’s Uncle Shane, who was a pilot for an emergency helicopter service. Henry sat down in one of the seats. “I never thought I’d get a chance to ride in one of these!” Uncle Shane chuckled. “I always have eager passengers. Take my last one, for example. A couple of young guys were mountain climbing near here, and one of them fell over the edge of a cliff and landed on a ledge. He was trapped in an odd spot where no one could climb down to help him, so my partner and I had to fly in to rescue him. Now there was an eager passenger!” “How did you get him out?” Henry asked. “Was there room to land?” “No,” replied Uncle Shane, “but this helicopter has a lot of special equipment, like that rescue basket you see over there.” He pointed to a long wire mesh basket attached to a rope. “While I hovered the helicopter over the spot, one of my partners went down in the…

Read: John 21:15-17 “Why do we have to do this?” Grayson pinched his nose as he eyed his uncle’s barn. “We’re helping out for a few days,” Mom said. “Come on, the sheep are waiting.” Grayson dragged his feet as they walked over to the barn. Mom led the way to a pen of dirty, wooly sheep. She held out a handful of dry food, and all the animals raced over to her. “You’re going to let them eat off your hand?” Grayson made a face. Mom giggled as one of the sheep ran its thick tongue over her hand. “It’s actually fun.” She glanced back at Grayson. “If you don’t want to feed them, you can get them water. We need to take care of them to help your uncle while he’s recovering from surgery.” “Uncle Bill’s never done anything for us,” Grayson muttered as he turned away. Grayson filled a bucket with water and carried it to the sheep’s pen. He tried to pour it carefully into their trough, but it still splashed, and he let out a scream as dirty water got on his legs. “You can shower when we get home,” Mom said. She smiled…

Read: Psalm 119:41-48 “Ouch!” grumbled Ember one morning as she yanked the brush through her thick hair. “You could cut your hair, you know, or wear braids at night,” said her older sister Paige, who was propped up in bed with her Bible. “Well, right now I just want to get it untangled!” Ember gritted her teeth as she pulled on the brush. “Let me help.” Paige took the brush and started working on the snarls. “You should have strong arms after doing this so much,” she said as she attacked another section of hair. “Am I pulling too much?” “No more than I do.” After a few minutes, Paige put the brush on the dresser. “That should do it! Now I’d better finish untangling my head before I have to get ready for school.” She picked up her Bible again. “What do you mean, untangle your head?” Ember asked as she stuffed books into her book bag. “Your hair doesn’t get in knots like mine does.” “My hair doesn’t get in knots, but my mind does,” said Paige. “Sometimes I get really worried about things. Then I have trouble…

Read: Revelation 21:1-4, 22-27 Isaac watched as baby Eloise blinked, nodded, and finally closed her eyes. When he was sure she was asleep, he looked at his mom in the rearview mirror. “Mom? Do you think heaven is gonna be—I don’t know—boring?” Mom glanced at him. “What makes you say that?” Isaac squirmed. “Well, everyone’s always talking about how great heaven will be, but it sounds like all we’ll be doing is singing like we do in church. I like church okay, but I don’t think I’d want to be there all the time. I’d miss pizza and basketball and stuff like that. I like it here!” Suddenly Eloise jumped in her sleep and cried out, and Isaac reached over to pat her hand. “Do you suppose Eloise was thinking something like that three months ago?” Mom asked. Isaac was puzzled. “How could she? She’s only two months old!” “Yes, but she was alive before she was born, you know. Maybe she liked being in my stomach, where she was warm and comfortable and never hungry. If someone asked her if she wanted to be born and be…

Read: Philippians 2:12-18 “David, can you hold the door open for me?” Dad called. But David and Abby were too busy fighting over which video game to play to hear him. “David!” Dad called again. “Yeah?” David looked up, startled. “Please hold the door open so I can bring the ladder inside. I need to change a lightbulb.” “Why do I always have to help you? Why can’t Abby do it? She never has to help.” “I didn’t ask your sister. I asked you,” Dad said firmly. David sighed but got up and held the door. As Dad set up the ladder and climbed the metal rungs, Abby and David started fighting again. “Abby! David!” Dad called down. “What is this?” He held up the burned-out lightbulb he’d unscrewed from the light fixture. David shrugged, and Abby rolled her eyes. “It’s a dead lightbulb,” she answered, glaring at her brother. “Duh!” David pulled back his arm like he was thinking of hitting his sister. “Abby! That’s enough. David, don’t touch your sister. Yes, a broken bulb. What do you hear?” Dad descended the ladder and…

Read: Luke 10:25-37 The screen door slammed behind Oliver as he bounded down the steps of his house. Humming, he headed toward the barn to feed the chickens. Buck buck buck buck-AHHHH! squawked Omelet, Benedict, Scrambled, and Dippy as they raced around the corner of the barn. Omelet nibbled at Oliver’s fingers. “I’m not your supper, you crazy bird!” he said with a laugh. Mom was turning the TV volume up when Oliver returned to the house. A news correspondent was reporting on a hurricane in another part of the country while wind and rain whipped around him. “I’m standing on what used to be one of the main roads here,” he shouted above the blustery weather. “Now the road has turned into a river. Behind me, you can see families leaving all they own behind to get to safety. Flooding is expected to get worse before it gets better.” That night, Oliver could hardly sleep. He kept thinking of all the kids he saw on TV who had to leave their homes and everything they had. During family devotions the next morning,…

Read: 1 John 1:5-9 “And please forgive me for the lie I told. In Jesus’s name, amen.” Aubrey climbed into bed, and Mom gave her a kiss and turned out the light. After lying to her mother a few days earlier, Aubrey had asked God to forgive her. But every now and then she still felt guilty, so she’d ask Him again. The next afternoon, Mom suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, Aubrey, I was supposed to ask if you wanted to go shopping with Grandma this afternoon, and it slipped my mind! I’m afraid it’s too late now. I’m so sorry.” “Oh no!” Aubrey wailed. “That would have been so much fun!” Mom felt bad. “Can you forgive me?” Aubrey sighed and nodded. As the family sat down for supper that evening, Mom looked at Aubrey. “I’m so sorry about forgetting the shopping trip,” she said. “Please forgive me.” “It’s okay, Mom,” Aubrey replied as she helped herself to some chicken. “This looks so good!” After supper, Aubrey helped Mom clear the table. “Aubrey, I feel so bad you missed being able to go out with Grandma,” Mom said. “Will…

Read: Psalm 121; Matthew 11:28-30 James was happy to be camping with his dad, but… “How much further do we have to walk?” His backpack was making him lean forward, and he felt a little like a turtle. Maybe he had overpacked. His dad smiled. “Not too much further, bud. You’ve got this.” James wanted to be strong and make his dad proud. They didn’t see each other often since his parents got divorced. But the weight was really getting to him. “Almost there.” Dad quickened his steps. When they reached their site, James dropped his backpack to the ground and sank down beside it. “That was hard!” “But you did it.” Dad gave him a thumbs-up. “Let me get the tent set up, then we can go on a hike.” “I don’t know if I have the energy to hike.” “We’ll leave our backpacks,” Dad said. “That will make it easier.” James rested while his dad got the tent up, thankful that he didn’t ask for help. He watched his dad take his backpack to the tent and stick it inside before putting a lock on the door. “Let’s hike,” Dad said.…

Read: 2 Samuel 9:3-11; Luke 14:13-14 “Lose your kickball scrimmage?” Dad asked. Will buckled his seatbelt. “No. It’s Carter again.” “The boy who uses a wheelchair?” Dad grinned. “He’s funny.” “Dad! Should you say that about someone who can’t walk?” “Why not? He wears a T-shirt that says ‘A Wheelchair Is How I Roll.’” Dad put the car in reverse. “He must have a great sense of humor.” “Well, I wish he wouldn’t watch us from the sideline the whole game.” Will shoved his dirty sneakers into his duffle bag. “I don’t know why he wants to play with us anyway. Don’t they have Special Olympics for kids like him? He should just play with his own kind of kids.” Dad put the car in gear. “Grab the Bible out of the glove compartment, Will. I want to show you something.” “You don’t have to read me a Bible verse about being nice, Dad. I don’t do anything mean to Carter.” “Just turn to Second Samuel 9.” Dad waited for Will to read the passage. “Well?” Will sighed. “King David asks if there’s anyone left in his friend…

Read: Matthew 14:25-31 Jonah climbed up the playset at the park close to his family’s apartment. Sirens wailed as he settled at the top and looked at the city around him. “Come on, Lydia.” Jonah offered his hand to his little sister. “It’s really cool once you get all the way up here.” “It’s scary.” Lydia shook her head and started to go backwards down the ladder. “I’m going to stay on the ground by Nana.” Jonah looked to where their grandma sat on a bench, taking a work call on her phone. She was busy, and he knew Lydia wouldn’t have any fun if she chose to sit by her instead of playing with him. “I won’t let you fall,” Jonah said. “I’ll make sure you’re safe.” “Okay.” Lydia started to climb up again. A gust of wind blew across the park, and Lydia’s eyes grew wide. “It’s windy. I’m scared.” She went back down to the ground and hugged herself tight. “You should come down too.” Jonah moved to the slide and slid down, then walked over to his sister and put his arms around her. “Do you remember the story of…

Read: Matthew 5:14-16; John 8:12; 15:7-8 Jayce and Caleb grabbed their flashlights and headed outside for a game of flashlight freeze tag. Caleb moved among the shadows, silently sneaking up on friends and tapping them, freezing them in their spots. “Rats,” Chloe said. “I didn’t see or hear you, Caleb.” Chloe waited for a flashlight beacon to find her, unfreezing her to move again. Caleb had gone off to tag others. Then his flashlight quit. He flicked it off and on, off and on. Nothing happened. That’s when Chloe tapped him on the back. “Gotcha, Caleb. You’re frozen.” After Chloe ran off, Caleb’s voice filled the darkness. “Jayce, help! I’m frozen. My batteries are dead. And look out for Chloe!” “Good thing I always have extras,” said his brother. He touched Caleb with a beam of light and handed him more batteries. “Thanks, Jayce.” Unfrozen and with a flashlight that worked, Caleb quietly disappeared into the darkness. Later, the boys recapped their night. “Hey, I just thought of something,” said Caleb.…

Read: Deuteronomy 31:1-8 “Incoming!” Kason ran at top speed and jumped off a stump into a pile of freshly raked leaves. Grandpa leaned on his rake and laughed as Kason peeked at him from the center of the pile, where only the top of his head and eyes were visible. “Thanks for helping me today, kiddo! You deserve a nice jump or five!” “Come on, Grandpa!” Grandpa strolled over to the leaf pile and fell backward beside Kason. “Just as comfy as I remember,” Grandpa joked. Kason and Grandpa lay in the leaves facing the sky as the wind picked up. Several colorful leaves pulled free from tree branches and descended in spirals, twirls, and lazy drifts. “I wish you didn’t have to leave,” Kason said softly. “Me too, Kason. You know I’ll visit you as often as possible—and of course, you can visit me anytime!” “Yeah, but it won’t be the same.” Kason sighed deeply. “Everyone leaves.” “Sometimes it feels like that,” Grandpa agreed. “But don’t forget there is someone who never leaves.” “Jesus?” “You said it, kiddo!…

Read: Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 1:3-6; 1 John 3:1-2 Mai sat quietly at the dinner table, poking at her rice with her chopsticks. Usually she loved dinner—especially when her dad made his special noodle stir-fry—but tonight, nothing tasted good. “Mai, sweetheart, you’ve barely touched your food. Is everything all right?” Mum asked. Mai’s chest tightened. “I don’t want to do the presentation about Japan,” she blurted, tears stinging her eyes. “I don’t even like my culture!” Her parents exchanged a worried glance. Before either could speak, Mai pushed back her chair and ran to her room. A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on her bedroom door. “May I come in?” her mum asked gently. Mai sniffled but nodded. Her mum sat beside her on the bed. “What’s really bothering you?” she asked. Mai hesitated. “I don’t look like you and Dad,” she finally admitted. “Everyone will think it’s weird. You both have blonde hair and blue eyes, and I have black hair and dark eyes. I look different because I’m adopted!” Mum…

Read: Psalm 78:34-39; Ephesians 4:26-32 “Stop following me around, Diego!” Santos yelled at his little brother. “But I want to be with you,” Diego said tearfully. “I don’t care! I’m tired of you following me everywhere!” Santos said as he stormed out of the house. Later that day, Santos went inside to get a snack. “What are you doing?” he asked when he found his dad under the kitchen sink. Dad crawled out from under the sink and fumbled around in his toolbox. “Oh, the faucet is leaking again, and I’m trying to fix it. Ever since it started leaking, I just can’t seem to get it to stop! I may have to call in a professional.” Dad sighed, somewhat discouraged, then went back to work as Santos continued to look for something to eat. A few minutes later, Dad gave up trying to fix the faucet and sat down at the table. “You know, we can be like that faucet sometimes,” he said. Santos looked confused. “What do you mean?” “When we get angry with someone and respond to them harshly, it’s a lot like water dripping from…

Read: Acts 4:1-12 How about you? Have you received the antidote for sin? The Bible says everyone has sinned by doing wrong things, and sin leads to death. There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves—the only way to be saved is through Jesus, God’s Son. Trust Him to save you from sin and death and give you eternal life with Him. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) Today’s key verse: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV) Today’s key thought: Jesus is the antidote for sin

Read: Psalm 20:6-7; Romans 8:38-39 Editor’s note: This story may not be suitable for some children. “Almost time for school,” Mom said as she picked up Rhea’s backpack. “Rhea! What do you have in here? Feels like a bag full of rocks!” She unzipped the top. Rhea’s eyes grew round. “No, Mom, don’t—” But Mom was already pulling out a can of hairspray, a camouflage jacket that belonged to Rhea’s brother, a bicycle helmet, and indeed, one large rock. “Is this for some kind of project at school?” Rhea looked down. “No. I was just…” She sighed. “Scared.” Mom sat down with her on the sofa. “Scared? Of school?” “I’ve been watching the news.” Rhea leaned her head against her mom. “There was another shooting at a school. And we did a drill at school so we’d know what to do if it wasn’t safe.” Mom had a sad look in her eyes. But then they twinkled a bit. “So if someone dangerous comes in, you’re going to…do his hair? Or send him away on a bicycle?” Mom grinned softly, and Rhea smiled too. “I thought I could spray…

Read: Genesis 41:46-57 “Guess what Joseph is doing?” exclaimed Ellie as she burst into the kitchen. “He’s burying acorns near the apple tree!” “Who’s Joseph?” asked Mom. “The new boy next door?” Ellie laughed. “No, Mom! Joseph is the squirrel who comes to our garden. But why would he bury acorns instead of eating them?” Ellie’s brother Michael answered her question. “He’s storing them away to eat in the winter.” Mom nodded. “While the weather is good, squirrels collect acorns and hide them,” she explained. “Then when winter comes and food is hard to find, they have their secret supply.” “That sounds like Joseph in the Bible,” said Michael. “God told him to collect grain for seven years so that when a famine came, the people would have plenty to eat.” “You’re right,” said Mom. “We can learn something from both Josephs.” “You mean we need to store up food in case there’s a famine here?” asked Ellie. Mom smiled. “I was thinking of a different kind of food—spiritual food. When difficult times come, we often…

Read: Lamentations 3:25-26; Romans 5:1-5 Hudson cast his line into the water. The bait landed with a small plop. On the other end of the boat, his grandfather quietly held his fishing pole. All was silent except for the sound of crickets chirping. Suddenly, a loud squawk split the misty air. The sound came again, and Grandpa pointed across the bayou to an owl perched on the top branch of a tall tree. A large crow circled him, squawking. “What’s that crow’s problem?” asked Hudson. Grandpa shrugged. “The owl might be sitting too close to the crow’s nest. Or maybe the crow is just pestering the owl and keeping him from sleeping. Crows do that kind of thing sometimes.” Hudson watched as the black bird swooped again and again, its harsh cries filling the swamp. Only the owl’s head moved as it turned to watch the crow. “I wish that crow would go away,” he said. “Can it hurt the owl?” Grandpa shook his head. “Not likely. God gave owls what they need to protect themselves—strong wings and sharp talons. If the crow…

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 11:33-36 “I think we’re going in circles,” Troy said as he and his dad and sister tried to make their way out of a corn maze. “I think we’ve been down this path before.” “How can you tell?” Elinor asked. She looked up at cornstalks that were twice as tall as she was. “Everything looks the same. Do you know the way out, Dad?” Dad laughed. “At the moment, I’m not quite sure.” “Hey, look!” shouted Troy. “There’s a platform-thing. We can climb up there and see where we are!” Sure enough, in the middle of the path was a high platform. Troy and Elinor ran up the steps, and Dad followed them. Standing above the stalks, they could see the whole field. Elinor pointed. “There’s the orange flag at the end of the maze. We gotta go that way!” “And look how far we’ve come,” said Troy. “With this a-maze-ing view, we can see we’re not going in circles after all.” They laughed at Troy’s joke. When they had found their way out of the maze, Dad bought warm cinnamon doughnuts and hot apple cider.…

Read: James 1:13-16 Mitchell sniffed the air as he walked into the house. “Mmm, cookies! Can I have one, Mom?” “Not right now,” said Mom. “They need to cool, and we’re going to be having dinner soon. You can have one for dessert after we eat.” “Okay,” said Mitchell, but he looked longingly at the cookies as they cooled on the counter. They smelled so good, and he knew they tasted even better. He was still standing there, looking at them, when his mother took another cookie sheet from the oven. “The more I smell these cookies, the more I want one,” he said. “Can’t I just have a small one?” Mom shook her head. “It would be easier to wait if you went somewhere else instead of standing there where you can see them and smell them,” she said. “Remember the Bible verse you learned last week?” “You mean the one about God always providing a way to escape temptation so we don’t have to give in to it?” asked Mitchell. “That’s the one,” said Mom. “And I think the way to escape this temptation is to go outside and play.”…

Read: John 11:32-35; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 “Mom?” Libby stepped into the apartment kitchen. She had heard movement; she knew someone was up. “What’s going on, sweetie? It’s early.” Mom sat at the island with a steaming mug in front of her. “I can’t stop thinking about BJ,” Libby said. “I miss him, Mom.” Mom held out an arm, pulling Libby close when she walked over to her. “I was thinking about him this morning too.” Libby’s eyes filled. “He’s been gone for months. When am I going to stop crying?” “We can’t rush the grieving,” Mom said. “Your brother was very important to us.” “Allie said that her dad doesn’t want her crying anymore,” Libby said. She and her best friend were dealing with the same thing. Their older brothers had both lost their lives on the same day, in the same crash. “She said he told her that she’s cried enough and needs to get over it.” “Poor Allie,” Mom said quietly. Libby looked down at the floor. “Is that what Jesus thinks?” she asked. “That I need to stop crying about it?” “Jesus? No.”…

Read: 1 Peter 2:21-25 Ian picked up a crumpled piece of paper from the ground and opened it up. It was a flyer advertising a sale at one of the local stores. He crumpled it back up and threw it on the ground. “Why did you do that?” Mom called to Ian from the porch. “It’s nothing important,” Ian said. “Besides, that’s how I found it. Someone else left it there like that.” He kicked the paper to the side of the sidewalk. “Ian, pick it up and throw it away, please. I know you’re not the one who put it there in the first place, but we all need to do our share in keeping our neighborhood looking nice, even if that means picking up trash that belongs to someone else.” Ian sighed and picked up the paper. “This is the second time this week I got stuck with the consequences for something someone else did,” he said, thinking of the day before when his younger twin brothers were acting up at the park and Mom had taken them all home early. He threw the crumpled paper in the trash and sat down on the porch next to his…

Read: Genesis 2:1-3; Mark 4:35-38; 6:30-32 Lilia pulled her paddle into the canoe and laid it over her lap. Spencer followed her direction and did the same. After a few moments of floating down the river confused, Spencer spoke up. “Hey, Lilia,” he asked his sister, “why did we stop paddling?” “Well, we’ve been paddling down this river for close to an hour, and I think it’s time we took a rest,” said Lilia. “But I’m not tired! I don’t think we need a rest. Let’s keep going!” “Sometimes we need to rest even when we don’t feel like we need it. Plus, we need to rest up to paddle all the way back,” Lilia reasoned. Spencer groaned, still not convinced. “You know, I’m not the only one who tells you to rest,” Lilia said. “I know,” Spencer huffed. “Mom and Dad do too.” “And God tells you to rest too!” Lilia added, splashing a little water toward Spencer. “He does?” Spencer asked, splashing water right back at his sister. “Yes. God set aside a day after creation to rest.” “But why?” Spencer asked. “God didn’t really…

Read: Psalm 119:102-105 Jalen finished his Bible reading, then checked off the corresponding reference on his sheet. “There!” he said. “I’m all done with this week’s youth group challenge. We had to read a different passage from the Bible every day this week.” “That’s great,” said Mom. “It’s always good when others encourage you to read the Bible every day. Now it will be easier for you to keep doing it on your own.” “Oh, I’m not planning to do that,” Jalen said. Mom raised her eyebrows. “You’re not?” Jalen shook his head. “I just did it to complete the challenge. I go to church and youth group every week, and we read and talk about the Bible there. I feel like that’s enough.” That evening, as Mom walked past Jalen’s room, she reached in and turned off the light. “Hey, Mom!” Jalen called out. “I’m in here!” “I know,” Mom said, returning to his door. “But you had the light on quite a while, so I figured you’d had enough and it was time to turn it off.” Jalen gave his mom a curious look as he reached for the…

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 Manuel rushed onto the stage, set some props in place, picked up some others, and rushed back off. He was the head prop person for the play the youth group was putting on at church. When the performance ended, Manuel finished what he had to do and picked up his jacket. He sighed loudly as he walked out of the auditorium and started down the church steps. Pastor Weber stopped him as he was coming up the stairs. “Congratulations on the fine job you did on the play!” he said. “But why the big sigh? Are you tired?” “Yeah, I guess so,” Manuel said. “Tired and discouraged about…about some other stuff.” “I’m sorry to hear that,” said the pastor. “Care to talk about it?” Manuel shrugged, but then he decided to share his problem. “It’s my dad,” he said. “Mom and I are saved, but Dad isn’t. I don’t want him to be…” Manuel hesitated. “To be lost for all eternity,” he finished in a trembling voice. “Mom and I have prayed and prayed for Dad, and I know you and the people here at church have too,…

Read: Colossians 3:1, 8-11 Dominoes wound their way through a large room in the basement. “Wow! You have quite a domino network here,” said Amelia’s mother as she came down the stairs. She carefully picked her way to where Amelia was and dropped to the floor beside her. “How did your speech go—the one you did with Ellen in history class?” “Fine,” said Amelia. “I did really well.” “And how about math? You said you’ve been doing your homework every night. Is that going better now?” “It’s going great, Mom.” Irritated, Amelia frowned. “Why all the questions?” As she spoke, her cat Penelope ran down the stairs. Before Amelia could grab her, the cat bumped a domino. One after another, they all fell. Amelia watched as her domino design collapsed all the way through the room, then glared at Penelope. Mom cocked her head thoughtfully. “Interesting how, when one domino is tipped, it bumps the next one, isn’t it, Amelia? They all affect one another, and before you can stop them, they all fall. Lies are like that. One…

Read: Matthew 6:31-34 “You look tired,” Mom said when Dylan came into the kitchen for breakfast one morning. He sighed as he sat down for a bowl of cereal. “I am tired. I couldn’t sleep.” “Why not?” Mom carried a glass of orange juice over to him. Dylan thanked her for the juice, then shrugged. Mom pulled out the chair beside him. “Were you thinking about Grandpa?” “Sort of,” Dylan admitted. “It’s hard knowing he’s in the hospital and facing some health issues,” Mom said. “But we need to keep praying that he’ll be okay.” “I tried, but I still couldn’t sleep.” Dylan stirred his cereal around in his bowl. Mom put a hand on his arm. “Sometimes our worries are strong and it feels almost impossible to get over them,” she said. “But God is stronger.” Mom got up and grabbed her phone from the counter. She tapped on the screen a few times before stepping back over to Dylan. “Matthew chapter six talks about worry. It tells us not to worry about tomorrow.” Mom showed him the phone and pointed out the verse. “It’s not…

Read: Psalm 40:9-10 Tyler jumped off the school bus and ran home. He burst into the kitchen. “Mom! Mom! Guess what?” He ran through the house until he found his mom. “I won the spelling bee! I did it!” His eyes shone as he held out a big blue ribbon for her to see. Mom gasped and gave him a hug. “That’s wonderful, Ty!” Tyler nodded. “Now I get to compete in the regionals next month! I’ve got to text Jack and tell him.” He picked up his tablet to send a message to his best friend, who had moved away a few months earlier. “What did Jack say?” Mom asked a while later. “He thought it was great,” said Tyler. He sighed. “I wish we still went to the same school.” “I know,” said Mom. She picked up Tyler’s ribbon and looked at it thoughtfully. “A lot has happened since he moved away, hasn’t it? We weren’t even going to church back then, but now we know Jesus.” She smiled at Tyler. “I can understand why you wanted to tell Jack about winning the spelling bee right away. It’s always fun to share good news, and that’s…

Read: Psalm 145:8-21; Luke 6:31 Maylie stroked Chester’s long orange fur. Her cat purred loudly. “Sir Chester Chatterson, would you like a morsel of cake?” Maylie placed a cat treat on a plate and poured water into a teacup for Chester. Mom walked by as Chester lapped water out of the cup. “He let you put that top hat on him?” She laughed. “Just remember to let him leave when he’s had enough tea party time.” After Chester wandered off, Maylie spotted Miss Priss grooming herself in the sunshine. Miss Priss was an older cat and didn’t like to be bothered. Maybe just this one time she won’t mind, Maylie thought. Miss Priss gave a warning growl when Maylie picked her up. At first, a few treats seemed to appease the calico, but when Maylie tried to pull a doll’s dress over her head, Miss Priss had quite enough! Hisssss! Scratch! Maylie looked at her arm and began to cry. Mom darted into the room and untangled Miss Priss from the lace dress before attending to Maylie’s scratch. “Maylie, you know better than to…

Read: Isaiah 41:8-10 Zoe couldn’t wait to go on her youth group trip to the state park, where there would be camping, hiking, swimming, and bonfires. She packed her duffle bag and was about to zip it up when her mother walked in. “Aren’t you going to pack your Bible?” Mom asked, pointing to the dust-laden book on Zoe’s nightstand. “You might want it.” Zoe reluctantly put it in her bag. “We’re going to be talking about the Bible the whole time! Why do I need it with me?” But her mother just smiled and left. On the first day of her trip, Zoe was finishing her lunch when the head counselor made an announcement. “In twenty minutes, there will be a game of capture the flag. Afterward we’ll have ice cream—and the winning side gets first dibs on toppings!” The group cheered as teams were chosen. Zoe’s team decided that she and a few others would search for the other team’s flag. Once the whistle blew, Zoe raced through the woods to the other side of camp. When she saw an enemy team member coming toward her, she…

Read: James 1:5-8 Minha sat on the beach watching the waves crash into the shore. It was a windy day, and the waves were huge. Minha had a lot on her mind, and watching the water calmed her. Mom came and sat next to her. After a while of sitting in silence, Mom finally asked, “How are you doing?” “I’m just so scared of making the wrong decision,” Minha said as she fought back tears. Minha and her mom had just come from the doctor, who had told them Minha’s test showed that she had cancer, and he had given them different options for treating it. Mom put her arm around Minha. “Well, this is a huge decision, but we need to pray that God will give us wisdom and guide us in making the right choice.” “But, Mom, all the treatment options could make me even sicker. How can we be sure God will help us make the right decision?” The two sat in silence for a little while, watching the water. They watched as a big stick was thrown from one wave to another. Then a big wave heaved the piece of wood onto the shore, and it…

Read: Psalm 38:1-4 Grounded and bored, Mia slouched in the chair as she watched her baby sister play. Little Riley, growing tired of her blocks, made her way to Mia’s backpack that leaned heavily against the brick hearth. Riley picked up the straps and tried to lift the weight of Mia’s bag—an impossible feat, since Riley was barely able to walk on her own. As Riley began to cry in frustration, Mia knelt down to help. Removing the books from her bag, Mia thought her sister would be relieved, but instead she grew angry. She cried harder and tried to return the books to their place. Irritated with her sister, Mia huffed. “You can’t lift it, Riley!” She pulled the bag away, only to be met with an all-out tantrum from Riley. Mom rushed into the room. “What is it now, Mia?” “Why is it my fault?” Mia asked. “I was trying to help.” Mom gathered up Riley in her arms. Once Riley was calm, Mia spoke up. “I don’t want to cause trouble, Mom, but I do. Even when I’m trying to help I end up in trouble.” Mom sat Riley back…

Read: Colossians 3:12-17 Jacob stepped off the bus and walked toward Dad. “How was your day?” Dad asked as they began walking home. Jacob shrugged. “It was all right,” he said quietly. “Something wrong?” asked Dad. Jacob kicked at a rock on the sidewalk. He was embarrassed to talk about what had happened, but he knew he could trust Dad. “That older kid pushed me around again. He’s picked me to bully instead of the other kids.” “What did you do?” asked Dad as they turned a corner and walked down the gravel road toward their house. “Yelled a lot, but that didn’t do much,” answered Jacob. “I want to get back at him for embarrassing me in front of my friends.” As they approached their driveway, Dad pointed to the field next door. “Jacob, do you see how nobody cares for that field? Weeds have taken over because nobody has done anything to prevent them from growing where the grass should grow.” “Yeah, I never want to play over there because the weeds get in the way.” “Well, weeds and revenge are kind of similar,”…

Read: Luke 21:9-19 Caden was lying on his bed with his head propped on his hands and a worried look on his face when his mom stopped at his door. “How was school, Caden?” she asked. “Did something happen?” “Not really.” Caden hesitated. “We did have a discussion in social studies, though. One of the kids started talking about nuclear war and how the whole world is going to blow up and end soon. And it sounded like Mr. Morgan agreed with him.” “He said that?” Mom asked. “No. But it kinda seemed like he thought so. He said if everyone just stopped making nuclear weapons, the world would be at peace and no one would fight.” “That sounds nice, but I’m afraid it’s not going to happen,” said Mom. “There were many, many wars long before we had nuclear weapons. People and nations want to be powerful and will often do anything to gain that power. It’s unrealistic to think they’ll all suddenly decide to stop fighting.” “I guess so,” Caden said. “But thinking about it makes me feel scared. We talk about war at school,…

Read: 1 Samuel 16:7; Romans 3:23 Isabella’s tummy grumbled as she grabbed the peanut butter from the pantry and the new jar of strawberry jam from the refrigerator. Mom laid bread out on two plates and handed her a butter knife. “I’m so hungry, I could eat a rhinoceros!” said Isabella, unscrewing the lid from the jam jar. She started to stick her knife deep into the middle, then stopped. “Mom!” she cried. “Something’s wrong with this jam! It’s fuzzy and green in the middle.” Mom took the jar and looked closer. “You’re right, honey. It’s bad.” “But isn’t that the new jar you bought yesterday?” Isabella asked. “Yes,” Mom said, looking the jar over carefully. “But I couldn’t tell from the outside that anything was wrong.” Isabella looked at the jar too. From the outside, the jam looked fine. “You know what this makes me think of?” asked Mom. Isabella shook her head, disappointed she wasn’t going to get any jam on her peanut butter sandwich. “This jar of jam is just like our hearts without Jesus.” Mom turned the…

Read: Mark 10:13-16 “Is something wrong with the macaroni, buddy?” Graham’s mom asked as she watched her son push the pasta from one side of his plate to the other. Graham looked at his uneaten dinner. “No, it’s fine. I’m just not hungry tonight. May I be excused?” “I guess so,” Mom said quietly. Graham headed to his bedroom. He sank into his bed and stared at the ceiling. He didn’t want to tell his mom how he felt. It might make her sad again. His thoughts shifted to his best friend, Gideon, but were interrupted by a knock at his door. “May I come in, honey?” asked Mom. “Yes,” Graham replied with a sigh. Mom opened the door. “I was washing the dishes and couldn’t stop wondering if something was wrong.” Graham hesitated. “Well, uh, tomorrow is the father and son fishing trip at church.” Tears filled his eyes as he continued. “Gideon and his dad are going. Mom, I just miss Dad so much.” Mom walked to the bed and wrapped Graham in her arms. There had been such a hole in their family since Graham’s dad left,…

Read: Psalm 139:13-18; Ephesians 2:10 Ava walked into her new classroom feeling nervous yet excited. She had lived her whole life in a little town in Taiwan, but was now starting a new adventure in the big city of Taipei. After everyone scrambled to their seats, the teacher had the students introduce themselves and helped them choose their class leaders. Ava was a class leader at her previous school, and she hoped to be selected again. However, to her disappointment, her more outspoken classmates got the most votes. During music class, Ava listened as some students took turns playing the piano. Everyone clapped when they finished. My family can’t afford piano lessons for me, Ava thought enviously. It’s not fair. In art class, some of Ava’s classmates drew beautiful pictures. I wish I could draw like them, she thought. In PE, everyone cheered for the athletic students. Bitterness grew inside Ava. I’m never good at sports. I wish people would cheer for me. Maybe I should try to be like them. “Dad, why are all…

Read: Colossians 3:16-24 Cesar kept his distance as his dad lifted the cover from a beehive. “There sure are lots of bees, aren’t there, Dad? And they all look busy.” He grinned. “They’re as busy as bees!” Dad smiled. “You’re right. Each of the hives has lots of them—thousands, in fact. But there’s always just one queen bee in each hive.” “What does she do?” asked Cesar. “Rule the others?” “Well, she’s the mother of the bees,” Dad said. “And you know how busy mothers are! But all the other bees have a particular job to do too. The forager bees collect the food. The guard bees protect the hive from intruders. There are water collectors who regulate the humidity, and plasterers who repair the hives. The scout bees alert the others of opportunities and dangers in the outside world, and there are undertakers that remove dead bees from the hive.” “Wow!” said Cesar. “I never knew that.” “They’re like a family,” said Dad. “In a well-run family, each person has special duties. Everyone needs to do their job to keep…

Read: Psalm 91:1-6 Grandma looked up from making breakfast when Noah came into to the kitchen. “You look tired,” she said. Noah yawned. “I was up a lot last night because of the storm.” “It sure was noisy!” Grandma remarked as she began mixing pancake batter. “I was up some myself.” “Did Grandpa go to the barn?” Noah asked. Grandma nodded, and Noah put on his rubber boots and went outside. He found Grandpa milking the cow. “Good morning, Noah! You look like you could use some more sleep,” Grandpa said. “Did the storm keep you awake last night?” “Yeah, but I’ll be fine. What can I do to help?” “You can feed the goats,” Grandpa answered. When the feeding and milking was done, they both went to gather the eggs. “Hey, Noah, do you see that chicken?” Grandpa asked. Noah looked at the chicken Grandpa was pointing at and gasped. “What happened? That hen is missing a bunch of feathers, and she’s all scraped up and bruised!” “Last night this hen’s chicks were bedded down in some tall grass outside,” Grandpa…

Read: Romans 5:3-6; James 1:2-4 “Why are we stopping?” Lucas asked as they came to a stop behind a line of cars. “Oh no!” said Lucas. “We’ll be late! It’s bad enough being new at school, but being late and having everyone stare at me will be worse!” “I’m afraid I’ll be late for my job interview too,” Mom said, tapping her phone. “But there’s nothing we can do about it. I’ll give them a call so they know.” “I wish Dad was still alive,” Olivia said once Mom had finished her call. “Then we’d still be living in our old house and going to our old school with all our old friends. And you wouldn’t have to look for work.” “I wish that too,” said Mom. “But Jesus promises to be with us through these difficult changes, and we need to trust Him.” Just then the line of cars began moving, and they followed the car in front of them onto a bumpy gravel path. They passed workers using loud jackhammers and a huge machine digging up large chunks of asphalt. “Why do they have to wreck a perfectly good road?” Olivia asked. “It…

Read: Philippians 4:4-7 “What an awful day!” said Sophia after school. “Why do I have to have Mrs. Hilton for a teacher? She’s a grouch, and nobody likes her!” “It sounds like this would be a good time to remind you of the verses we read for devotions this morning,” Mom said. “‘In everything give thanks,’ remember? Because Jesus saved us and is always with us, we can have an attitude of praise and thankfulness to God, no matter what situation we find ourselves in.” “Yes, but…” Sophia looked doubtful. “It’s pretty hard to have an attitude of praise in Mrs. Hilton’s class.” “It may be hard at times, but Jesus still wants us to thank Him and trust Him in hard situations,” Mom replied. “He often uses them to teach us important lessons.” “Oh, I’m sure I’ll learn lots of lessons in Mrs. Hilton’s class,” Sophia muttered. “Lessons like sit up straight, no talking during class, stay in your seats, blah, blah, blah!” She sighed. “I really don’t see how I can give thanks for being in Mrs. Hilton’s class. It’s just too…