Bible Reading: Exodus 20:12-15; Ephesians 4:25-32

Alastair walked into the kitchen where his sister Stasia was doing homework. "Emerson got in trouble again," said Alastair. "I can't believe he's going to flunk math over this!"

Stasia looked up in surprise. "Over what? What did he do?"

"Mr. Hoover caught him looking at somebody's paper during a test," Alastair replied. "Emerson said he was just checking one or two answers. That's all. I think Mr. Hoover just hates Emerson, so he's making a big deal out of nothing."

"Well, if Emerson was caught cheating, what did he expect?" Stasia asked.

"It's not like he was stealing somebody's money during gym class," said Alastair, trying to make his sister understand. "Other kids in school do a lot worse stuff than what Emerson did."

Alastair turned to Mom, who was loading the dishwasher. "Can you hand me a glass, Mom? I'd like some juice."

"Sure," said Mom, and she handed him a dirty glass.

Alastair grimaced. "Yuck! I can't drink out of this. There's still dried milk in the bottom of it."

"But it's cleaner than these others that need to be washed," Mom said.

Alastair didn't say anything right away. He was pretty sure this had something to do with what they were just talking about, and he was trying to figure out what it was.

"After all," Mom continued, "if cheating is no big deal because it doesn't seem as bad as what somebody else did, then a little dried milk in a glass shouldn't be a big deal either, as long as it's not as dirty as the other glasses."

"Oh, well, I…um…" Alastair didn't know what to say.

"It can be easy for us to excuse the wrongdoing of our friends--and especially our own wrongs--because someone else did something that seems worse," Mom explained. "But it's all sin in God's eyes. After all, cheating is stealing too--it's stealing the work someone else did and claiming it as your own, which is a sin, and it hurts them just as much as if you were stealing their money."

Alastair nodded. "Sorry, Mom." He looked at the glass in his hand. "I guess I'll wait to have some juice, since all the glasses are dirty."

–Mike A. Dize

Bible Reading: Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 1:35-39

Micah ran into the house and threw his backpack on the kitchen table. "Mom! Do we have any frozen pizza?"

He cocked his head. The house was silent. He looked down and noticed Mom's phone on the counter. That's weird, he thought. She usually carries it with her.

Micah walked back to his parents' bedroom and knocked. Mom opened the door. "Oh, hi, honey. I didn't hear you come in."

"You left your phone in the kitchen, Mom."

"I know, Micah," said Mom. "I was praying, and I didn't want to be disturbed."

"Praying? In the middle of the day?"

Mom smiled. "I always have prayer time while your sister naps. I'm usually finished before the bus drops you off. I guess I had a lot to tell God today!"

"But we pray together--at the dinner table, and at church. Isn't that enough?"

"Praying together is very important, but the Bible says to pray without ceasing--that means continually connecting with Him and seeking His wisdom in our lives. So it's good to spend time with Him on our own too. I find it helpful to have a place of solitude to do that. Even Jesus needed a quiet space sometimes--he often went onto a mountain to pray."

Micah considered this. "Maybe I should find a place of solitude too!"

First Micah tried the living room. He sat on the couch, closed his eyes, and--

"Hey, Micah!" His little sister Sophie plopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. "Time for my cartoons!"

Next Micah tried his bedroom. He shoved the toys off the bed, closed his eyes, and--

A big wet tongue gave his cheek a slobbery kiss.

"Not now, Puddles!" Micah laughed and scratched the old hound dog behind the ears. "I'm looking for solitude--but this house is too crowded!" A swirl of rustling leaves outside the window caught his eye. "I've got it!" he said and ran out of the house.

He climbed the strong branches of the oak tree and closed his eyes, feeling the spring breeze brush his face. Jesus climbed a mountain to find solitude, thought Micah. I only have to climb a tree!

–Jennifer Dillard

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