Read: Psalm 19:12-14; Ephesians 4:29

Isabela peeked over her brother’s shoulder at the picture he was drawing. “Hey, that’s pretty good! But you need to color in that bit of sky you missed in the corner or turn it into a cloud.”

“You’re so bossy!” Matías shot back. “I don’t care what you think, so stop trying to tell me what to do!” Isabela’s eyes filled with tears, and she left the room.

That afternoon, Isabela played at a friend’s house while Matías and Mom went to a greenhouse. “Why don’t you look around while I find the stuff I’m looking for?” Mom said.

Matías wandered around, looking at various plants. “Come see our mimosas,” one of the workers said. He pointed to some spiky green plants, and Matías went over to see them. “Blow on one of those,” the man said.

Puzzled, Matías blew. He was surprised to see the plant’s leaves suddenly curl up. “Did I hurt it?” he asked in alarm.

“No, it will be fine,” the worker assured him. “These plants respond to possible injury by curling their leaves. That keeps them from being harmed by insects or rain. It doesn’t take much to cause them to curl up.”

Matías was fascinated by the plants, and he told Mom about them as they drove home.

“Those mimosa plants remind me of your sister,” Mom said.

“Isabela?” asked Matías. “How?”

“They’re very sensitive,” Mom replied. “When you blow on mimosa leaves, they curl up. And when you say harsh, unkind words to Isabela, she’s hurt deep inside and withdraws to avoid being hurt more. We’ve talked about this before, but I’ve noticed that you might have forgotten.”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Matías said quietly. “I’ll tell Isabela I’m sorry too.”

“Good,” said Mom. “We may not always realize it, but our words have an effect on people. That’s why we need to depend on Jesus to help us make our words acceptable in His sight. Every word He says to us in the Bible communicates His love for us and what He did to save us so we can grow in our faith. Trust Him to help you speak to others in a way that encourages them and helps them grow too.”

–Karen S. Birt

How about you? What kind of words have you used today? Did the things you say encourage others and help them grow—or make them shrivel up? Even if you don’t mean to, it’s easy to say things that are hurtful, so pay close attention to your words and how they affect others. Trust Jesus to help you show His love through everything you say and speak words that are acceptable to Him.

Today's Key Verse: Let the words of my mouth…be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord. Psalm 19:14 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Use words to help, not hurt

Read: Revelation 21:1-5, 9-11, 18-27

“I’d rather go to school than shovel the snow left behind from the blizzard,” Miguel grumbled.

“Oh, it’s not so bad.” Dad pitched a large scoop of snow into the yard before he stopped and looked at their surroundings. “I think a heavy blanket of snow like this is pretty.”

Miguel scanned the horizon. The snow twinkled in the sunlight like it was dusted with silver glitter. He squinted against the brightness and harrumphed. “All I see is work.” Miguel flexed his fingers in his cold, stiffened gloves, then he scraped the flat shovel blade across a patch of sidewalk hoping he could push the snow off the cement, rather than lift the heavy precipitation. “Scooping snow is worse than taking out stinky garbage.”

Dad laughed.

Miguel frowned. He wasn’t joking. He hefted another scoop and flung it into the yard. “I’d rather eat Brussel sprouts than shovel snow.” Now Dad would know he was serious because Miguel disliked Brussel sprouts. A lot.

Again, Dad laughed.

Miguel stopped. “I’m not joking.” His angry breaths came out in huffs of vapor.

Dad stuck his shovel in a deep snow drift. “Shoveling, like any chore, is something that must be done, so you might as well do it with joy. Besides, seeing the ground covered in sparkling snow makes me think God is giving us a little glimpse of heaven’s glory, a reminder to believers of what we will see someday.” Miguel scrunched his brows. “What do you mean?”

“Heaven is a beautiful place. The Bible says that when Jesus comes back to make everything new, the heavenly city where we’ll live will sparkle and shine with gold, crystal, and many jewels. Of course, it’s not the sun glistening on the ice crystals that makes heaven sparkle with beauty. It’s the glory of the Lord.”

“Oh.” Miguel had learned about heaven’s splendor and God’s promise to believers at church, but he never thought about seeing that beauty on earth. He shielded his eyes with a hand and looked at the yards blanketed in snow. This time he appreciated the beauty around him. He smiled at the thought that it was just a small glimpse of the magnificence he’d see one day when he was in heaven surrounded by God’s light.

–Rose Ross Zediker

How about you? Do you see little glimpses of God’s light on earth that point to His promise of heaven? A rainbow after a thunderstorm. A sun dog in the bitter cold of winter. The shimmer of morning dew on green grass. A mirrored reflection off a crystal-clear lake. These are small reminders of the beauty that awaits those who trust in Jesus when He creates a bright, beautiful home for us with Him in heaven.

Today's Key Verse: The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. Revelation 21:23 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: God is heaven’s light

Read: Psalm 78:10-22

"Remi,” said Mom, “will you come and dry these dishes, please?”

Remi groaned. “Can’t Dayo do it?” he asked. “I’m sick of drying dishes!”

Dayo rolled her eyes. “You’re always sick of one thing or another.”

“We seem to get the ‘sick of something’ illness too often around here,” said Dad. “We’re about as bad as the Israelites, who complained constantly in spite of all the good things God did for them.”

Mom nodded. “I have an idea for a game we can play to help us learn to stop grumbling and complaining. When one of us is caught saying we’re sick of something, we have to say one thing we’re thankful for about that same thing.”

“Okay,” said Dayo. “You won’t catch me!”

But all Remi said was, “Huh!”

The next day, Dayo walked in from school with a bulging backpack. “I’m so sick of all this homework!” she said.

“Oh really?” Remi grinned. “And what about your homework are you thankful for?”

“Oh no!” Dayo smiled and shook her head. “I guess I’m thankful it helps me understand more of what we’re learning at school.”

A bit later, Dayo bumped into her brother as he was walking to the table with a glass of milk. “Ugh, I’m so sick of you never watching where you’re going!” he said, grabbing a napkin to wipe the milk off his shirt.

“I’m sorry, Remi.” Dayo smiled and fluttered her eyelashes. “But what about me are you thankful for?”

Remi looked startled for a moment. “Well, I guess I’m thankful you’re not twins.”

Dayo sputtered and started after him.

“Okay, okay,” Remi said with a laugh, halting their chase around the kitchen table. “I’m thankful you always let me choose which shows we watch when I’m sick.”

Dayo smiled. “That’s better.”

“You guys seem to be getting the hang of this,” said Mom, who had overheard everything from the living room. “I think this grumbling game is helping you see the blessings God has put in your lives. When we focus on all He’s given us—and all Jesus has done for us—we may soon find there’s really nothing to complain about.”

–Vera M. Hutchcroft

How about you? Do you have a habit of grumbling and complaining? God was not pleased when the Israelites complained instead of trusting Him to care for them, and He’s not pleased when His children complain today. When you catch yourself grumbling, stop and remember all God has given you—including His own Son to save you from sin and always be with you. Then think of a reason to thank God for the thing you were complaining about.

Today's Key Verse: Do everything without complaining or arguing. Philippians 2:14 (ERV)

Today's Key Thought: Turn complaints into thanks