Read: Matthew 10:28-31

“Shall I brush your hair before you go to bed, sweetie?” Grandma asked. Jiya, who was spending the night with her grandparents, nodded and got her hairbrush. Her scalp tingled as Grandma brushed her hair with long, gentle strokes.

When she finished, Grandma handed the brush to Jiya. “There, now. Why don’t you clean the hair out of the brush so it’ll be all ready for next time?”

Jiya carried the brush to the wastebasket. “When you brush my hair, a lot comes out, Grandma,” she said as she pulled out strands that had twisted around the bristles. “Am I going to be bald like Grandpa?”

Grandma chuckled. “No, you don’t have to worry about that, sweetheart. It’s normal to lose up to a hundred hairs a day, but you have many more than that on your head—maybe a hundred thousand.”

“Wow!” said Jiya. “That’s a lot! I wonder who counted them.”

“Well, God keeps count of every one,” Grandma said.

“He does?”

“That’s right. The Bible says the hairs on our heads are all numbered. I think that shows He loves us very much, don’t you?”

Jiya nodded. “The first verse I ever learned was John 3:16—‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…’” She paused, thinking hard. “God loves me so much He sent Jesus to die for me, and He cares how many hairs I have. That’s awesome!”

“Yes, God is awesome,” Grandma said, pulling back the sheets on Jiya’s bed. “He even knows when a hair falls out, and He cares for you and watches over you day and night.”

“Even when I’m sleeping,” Jiya said with a yawn.

Grandma smiled. “Yes, and I can see that it’s time for you to snuggle into bed. Go tell Grandpa goodnight and then I’ll tuck you in.”

“Okay. And I’ll tell him not to worry about his hair,” Jiya said, heading for the bedroom door. “I’ll tell him God cares how many hairs he has and won’t let him lose more than he should.”

–Kim Sheard

How about you? Are you aware that God knows everything about you—including how many hairs are on your head? He knows when you’re happy and when you’re sad. He watches over you when you’re awake and when you’re sleeping. He loves you so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you, and He cares about every detail of your life. He is truly an awesome God!

Today's Key Verse: The very hairs of your head are all numbered. Matthew 10:30 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: God cares for you

Read: Job 1:1-3, 13-21; 3:25; Matthew 6:33-34

Mom found Clare crying in the backyard, watching her dog, Sheba, paw at leaves in the flower bed. “What’s the matter, honey?”

“I don’t want Sheba to get sick,” Clare said. “I know the vet took that lump off her leg, but she said it could come back.”

“It could, but maybe it won’t,” said Mom. “It may never come back.”

“But what if it does?” Clare sniffed. “I don’t want Sheba to die.”

“Of course you don’t,” said Mom, giving Clare a hug. “But worrying about that is keeping you from enjoying her. You look just as sad now as you would if she died.” Mom bent down to pet Sheba. “Do you remember what happened to Job?”

“Job?” asked Clare. “You mean the man in the Bible?”

“Yes,” said Mom. “He had plenty to be happy about—a big family, lots of money. Then he lost everything. After Job’s problems started, he said, ‘What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.’”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” said Clare.

“Wait! I have a point.” Mom dried a tear from Clare’s cheek. “All those years, he had his family with him. He had prosperity and success. Do you think his worrying helped him enjoy those things?”

“No,” said Clare, petting Sheba’s head.

“And did being afraid of losing everything stop it from happening?” asked Mom.

Clare hugged Sheba. “No. But what can I do about being sad? It doesn’t have an off button.”

“No, but we have a choice when it comes to worrying about sad things that might happen,” said Mom. “We can worry, which doesn’t help anyway, or we can remember that Jesus died for us and will always be with us and thank Him for the good things we have today—like Sheba. We can talk to Him about troubling things and trust Him to work them out. Job did that. He continued to love and believe in God.”

Mom picked up a ball and looked at Sheba, who wagged her tail. “I think she needs a playmate,” said Mom, throwing the ball.

Clare took off running. “Come on, Sheba! I bet I can get that ball before you do.” Sheba quickly caught up with her, and together they raced across the lawn.

–Elise L. Perl

How about you? Do you worry about what might happen tomorrow? If worrying keeps you focused on what might go wrong, you can’t enjoy what you have right now. When you start to worry, pray about the problem, and talk to a parent or another adult about it. Then choose to thank Jesus for the many blessings you do have and enjoy them as you trust in Him.

Today's Key Verse: Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Enjoy your blessings today

Read: Psalm 119:9-16; Acts 2:40-44

Oliver was passing the kitchen door when he heard his little brother’s voice. “Dad, can I please have those shoes? They’re the kind Daryl Stewart wears.”

Oliver grinned and went into the kitchen. “Do you think that since Daryl Stewart is a basketball star those shoes will automatically turn you into a great player?”

Jude shrugged. “They might help.”

“Jude,” said Dad, “you know it’s effort, not a fancy pair of shoes, that will help make you a good basketball player.”

Oliver nodded. “Dad’s right, Jude. If you practice every day, you’ll get better and better, no matter what kind of shoes you wear.”

Jude looked a bit disappointed. “Guess I’ll start practicing then,” he said with a sigh and headed for the door.

Oliver grinned at his dad. “I was about to head over to Bible study at church, but I think I’ll stay and help Jude with his basketball practice instead.”

Dad motioned toward Oliver’s Bible on the kitchen counter. “Grandma gave each of you kids a new Bible for Christmas, didn’t she?” he asked. “Is that it?”

Oliver nodded. “Yep. My name’s on the cover. Isn’t that cool?” He smoothed his hand over the embossed name.

Dad nodded thoughtfully. “Nice shoes and nice Bibles are great, but just having them doesn’t make you a good player or help you grow spiritually, does it?”

It took a moment for Oliver to realize what his dad meant. “You’re saying that just like Jude needs to practice to become a better basketball player, I need to learn from God by spending time in His Word.”

Dad nodded. “And one really great way to do that is to study the Bible with other believers. After all, you can’t learn to play basketball all by yourself, can you? You need to practice and learn from the coach as a team. Jesus never meant for us to live the Christian life alone—He puts other believers in our lives so we can learn to walk with Him together and love and support each other along the way. That’s a big way He shows us who He is, and why church and Bible studies are so important.”

“Okay, Dad,” Oliver said. “I’ll go to Bible study. I don’t want to miss practice with my spiritual team!”

–A. J. Schut

How about you? Do you want to get to know Jesus more and more? To improve in sports, you need to learn the game and spend time practicing. To deepen your relationship with God, you need to learn about who He is, and a good way to do that is to spend time in His Word—both by yourself and with other believers. Spend time with other Christians so you can learn about Jesus together and encourage each other in your walk with Him.

Today's Key Verse: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Learn with other Christians