Read: Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 8:28-29

“What do you want first, the bad news or the good news?” Mom asked when Morgan got home from school.

“The bad news, I guess.” Morgan knew that when Mom played bad news/good news, the news was never terribly bad.

“Dad’s job is now transferring to Dalton instead of Briggs,” Mom said.

“Dalton? But we already found a nice house in Briggs!” Morgan sighed. “What’s the good news?”

“Dalton isn’t as far from here as Briggs, so you and your friends from school can get together more often.”

“Well, that is good news, but I still wish we didn’t have to move at all.” Morgan stood up. “I’m going to check on Trixie and her kittens.”

Soon Morgan was back. “Mom, Trixie moved her kittens again. She put them back in my room under my bed. I wish they could stay there.”

“I know, but that isn’t a good place for them,” said Mom. “It’s too busy with you and your friends coming in and out so often. The kittens are better off in the laundry room.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I’ll move them back.” After she moved the kittens, Morgan returned to the kitchen. “I shut the door to my room so Trixie won’t be able to move the kittens there again.”

“Good idea,” said Mom. “Did you explain to Trixie that you have a good reason for shutting her out? And that she and her kittens are better off where you put them?”

Morgan laughed. “It’s too bad she can’t understand that, right?”

“Trixie is just like us,” Mom said. “We thought that the best place for us to live was right here. We expected to stay here a long time, but God has apparently shut the door on that idea.”

“And He probably has a good reason too, huh?” said Morgan.

Mom nodded. “Even though we don’t understand, we can trust His promise to work everything out for good. He loves us more than we can imagine—so much that He sent Jesus to die for us. We can trust Him to use this move to help us grow in our relationship with Him.”

Morgan smiled. “Okay, Mom. Now that the kittens are out of my room, I’m going to do some packing.”

–Katherine R. Adams

How about you? Have you experienced disappointing changes in your plans? Sometimes change is hard to accept, but God only wants what’s best for you. Trust Him even when things don’t go the way you wish they would. Remember that Jesus loves you so much He died to save you. He will be with you and help you through difficulties you don’t understand.

Today's Key Verse: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: God knows what’s best

Read: Psalm 51:10-17; Ezekiel 36:26-27

Aunt Dee must be here! Qian thought when he saw a blue mini van parked in their driveway. Maybe she brought Grandma home from the hospital—the doctor said she might come home today. Grandma had been very sick, but she’d had an amazing operation. She’d been given a heart transplant—her diseased heart was removed and a different one was put inside her body. Now she was doing much better.

Qian rushed into the house. “Grandma!” he called when he saw her sitting in the living room. She looked pleased to see him. Hugging her gently, Qian asked, “Do you feel better, Grandma?”

“Yes, I do, Qian. I was just thanking the Lord for both of my new hearts.” Grandma’s eyes sparkled as they often did when she was happy.

“But Grandma,” said Qian, “you just got one new heart.”

“I got one new heart in the hospital,” said Grandma. “But I got my first new heart when I was about your age.”

“You did? I didn’t know that! Was your heart bad then too?”

Grandma smiled. “We often use the word heart to describe our innermost being,” she explained. “And yes, my heart—that innermost part of me—was full of sin. When I asked Jesus to come into my life and take away my sin, it was as if He gave me a new heart—He changed my thoughts, feelings, and desires. After that, I wanted to do things that would help me get to know Jesus better and show others who He is.”

Grandma paused, letting Qian think about what she had just said. Then she patted his hand. “I’m thankful for the heart the doctors gave me, but I’m even more thankful to Jesus for saving me from sin and giving me a new spiritual heart.”

Qian nodded. “I have a new spiritual heart too, don’t I?”

“You do if you trust Jesus as your Savior,” Grandma told him. “Do you?”

Qian nodded again. “Yes, I do, Grandma,” he said with a grin. “We both have new hearts.”

–Esther M. Bailey

How about you? Do you have a new heart? Getting a new heart means that God will change your inner being when you trust Jesus to save you from sin. You’ll start wanting to do what God wants more and more because the Holy Spirit will begin changing your desires. Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior? Don’t wait. Trust in Him right now! (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Get a new heart from Jesus

Read: Hebrews 11:1-3; 1 John 5:4-5

“Look out!” said Benjamin as his sister stumbled over a chair. “You must be blind as a bat if you didn’t see that chair, Eliza!”

Eliza huffed as she righted the chair. “Bats aren’t blind!” she said.

“Yes, they are,” said Benjamin. “They find their way around by listening to sound waves instead of by seeing things with their eyes.”

“Yes, but they can see,” said Eliza. “They just don’t see very well, so they rely on their ears to get around.”

“Eliza’s right,” Dad said. “The phrase ‘blind as a bat’ is an expression people use, but bats aren’t actually blind.”

“My teacher said they fly at night and make squeaky, high-pitched sounds and then listen for the echoes,” said Benjamin. “The amount of time it takes for the sound waves to bounce off something and echo back tells the bat how far away the object is.”

“Very good!” said Dad. “And did you know that, like bats, we should depend on more than just what we can see?”

“You mean we should use our ears?” asked Eliza. “Like how a train whistle warns us that a train is nearby?”

“Well, yes,” said Dad, “but I was thinking of something even more important than eyes or ears. What we need is faith—faith in Jesus, who’s in control of everything even though we can’t see Him. Some people refer to it as ‘blind faith,’ but it’s not blind at all. It’s faith in a living God who loves us, died for us, and promises to help us and guide us.”

Eliza grinned. “Just like bats! Bats aren’t really blind—they just depend on something better than what they can see to guide them.”

“Exactly,” said Dad. “Bats depend on their ears to help them fly safely at night, and we need to depend on Jesus to keep us safe—even during the dark times of our lives when we don’t understand why things happen or what God’s plan is. At times like that, we can rest in our faith that Jesus has given us eternal life and will always be with us.”

“So I guess we’re like bats because we rely on something better than what we can see,” said Benjamin.

“Right,” said Eliza. “We rely on Jesus!”

–Tanya Ferdinandusz

How about you? Do you have faith in Jesus? The things you can see that make you feel secure—food, shelter, possessions, even friends and family—can only go so far. People make mistakes, and the things you have can’t help you when bad things happen. Only Jesus can give you eternal security. Though you can’t see Him, He cares about you and will always be with you, even in difficult times. Live by faith and trust Him to guide you day by day.

Today's Key Verse: We walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Live by faith