Read: 1 Timothy 4:11-16

“Why do we have to take Mrs. Anderson to church with us tomorrow?” asked Miriam. “She’s so boring—all she talks about is her cat. I can’t stand her!”

“I don’t like her either,” said Miriam’s little brother Brendon.

“Me neither!” said Flynn, the youngest.

“That’s enough!” said Mom. “That’s not a kind way to talk about an elderly woman who can’t get out on her own.”

A while later, Mom came to Miriam’s room. “Want to go for a ride? I have the dogs hooked up to the sled. Dad will stay here with the boys.”

“All right!” Miriam eagerly followed her mom outside. “You put Kodiak on the team today?” she asked as she looked at the dogs. “When we take him, the other dogs don’t run as well!”

“He needs more practice,” said Mom. Miriam frowned as she sat down on the sled. Mom hopped on the runners. “Let’s go!” Mom shouted. The dogs took off, and they glided onto the snow-packed road. Miriam yelled out in excitement as they raced to the top of the hill.

Then Kodiak spotted a branch sticking out of the snow. He pulled hard toward the side and stopped. For a minute, the other dogs tried to go on, but soon they all stopped and got tangled up in each other’s lines. Mom got off the sled to straighten them out.

“I knew this would happen!” said Miriam. “Why did we have to use Kodiak?”

“You should be more patient with him. After all, you two are kind of alike.”

“What do you mean?” asked Miriam in surprise.

“Kodiak sets a bad example for the other dogs, and you’ve been setting a bad example for your brothers. You often say mean things about people, and then they think it’s okay for them to think of people that way too. That’s not how Jesus wants us to treat others.”

Miriam sighed. “I know.”

Mom finished untangling the lines and got back onto the sled runners. “Jesus loves Mrs. Anderson—He died for her! His example of love is the one we should follow. Ask Him to help you love Mrs. Anderson like He does. Then you can set a good example for your brothers and encourage them to love her too.”

–Corrine C. Canavan-Fifield

How about you? What kind of example are you setting for your siblings and friends who are Christians? Think about your actions. Do the things you do and say line up with the things Jesus would do and say? Trust Him to help you follow His example so you can encourage other Christians to live that way too. Then you can work together to show others His love!

Today's Key Verse: Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Be a good example

Read: James 3:3-10

“Why didn’t you invite Jase to come camping with us?” Dad asked as he and Thatcher sat beside their campfire.

Thatcher looked at his dad. “His mother’s in a mental hospital!”

“Yes,” Dad said. “She’s getting the help she needs for her mental health.”

“I knew she was in a hospital, but I didn’t know it was that kind of hospital until a guy at school told me,” Thatcher said. “The kids at school say Jase must be nuts too, and…well, don’t you think he’s a little weird sometimes?”

“No weirder than anyone else,” Dad replied. “Just because Jase’s mother is ill does not mean he has the same problems. And remember, she’s ill, not ‘nuts,’ as you called it.” Thatcher didn’t say anything, but he wasn’t convinced.

After swimming in the river the next day, Thatcher let out a yell. “Dad! There’s a yucky worm on my leg! I can’t pull it off!”

Dad hurried over. “That’s a leech, Thatcher. They live in the water and sometimes stick to swimmers. Hold still, and I’ll try to get it off.” Dad succeeded in removing the leech, but Thatcher’s leg kept on bleeding.

“Leeches give off a substance that keeps blood from clotting,” Dad explained. “We’ll wash and bandage your leg, and I’m sure it will be fine.”

Soon Dad had Thatcher all bandaged up. “You know, Thatcher, leeches remind me of gossip. Gossip also sticks tight. Even after people quit talking, those they’ve gossiped about continue to hurt. I’m sure the things kids say about Jase hurt him. All that gossip may be sucking the joy of life right out of him.”

“I…I didn’t mean to hurt Jase,” Thatcher replied.

“No, but people get hurt by gossip, and it’s a sin. When we gossip, we’re using other people’s problems and shortcomings to get attention and make ourselves look better—and often the things we hear and repeat about others aren’t even true! We need to remember we’re just as flawed as everyone else and that Jesus died to save all of us. We’re not showing others His love when we gossip—either the people listening or the person we’re talking about.”

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Thatcher said. “I’ll text Jase and see if he wants to come out here. Then I can tell him I’m sorry too.”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Are you guilty of hurting someone by spreading gossip? Don’t sin by hurting others this way. Even if you believe a negative thing you hear about someone is true, think about how you’d feel if someone said a similar thing about you. Then show Jesus’s love by speaking words that help support and encourage others instead of hurting them.

Today's Key Verse: I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin. Psalm 39:1 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Gossip is sin

Read: Isaiah 9:6-7; 53:5-6

Lexie dangled her feet off the bunk bed as her sister got ready for their Christmas program rehearsal. “I’m going to mark my script so I don’t miss any of my lines,” Lexie said. She stuck her pen in her princess purse.

“Girls! We need to be at church soon!” Mom stuck her head in the door. “What? You’re not even dressed? We should have left already!”

Anna poked her head out of the closet. “But I can’t find my shoes.”

“Forget your shoes! Just come on!”

Mom rushed away to check on the twins. By the time everyone was loaded in the van, Mom was downright angry. “This happens every time we need to go somewhere!” she said. “I’m so sick of being late!”

As Mom was about to shut the van door, Anna gasped. “I forgot my shoes!”

Mom let out an exasperated groan. “Get your shoes now! And if you’re not back in one minute, I’m leaving!”

Five minutes later, Anna climbed into the van, shoes in hand. Mom fussed as they pulled onto the street.

“Anna, how could you possibly forget your shoes on a day this cold? And Lexie, that is the last time I want to see you lollygagging when you should be getting ready!”

Just then the radio began to play a song that the twins had been singing all week. Their three-year-old voices quickly chimed in with the music. “For unto us a child is bo-own…unto us a Son is gibben…”

Mom stopped yelling. Then she let out a big sigh. “I’m sorry, girls,” she said. “I’ve been so focused on blaming you for making us late that I forgot why we’re going to rehearse for the Christmas program in the first place—to tell others about Jesus. The truth is, I wasn’t ready on time either, but I didn’t want to admit that, so I made you feel bad about it instead. Will you forgive me?”

Anna and Lexie looked at each other. “Forgive you?” Lexie asked.

Mom nodded. “Sometimes parents make mistakes too. Jesus is still working to make me more like Him, just like He is with you.”

Anna smiled. “Yes, Mom,” she said. “We forgive you!”

–Rebekah Dorris

How about you? Have you ever heard your parents say things they later regret? Just like you, parents make mistakes. The good news is that Jesus is still working on all of us, so remember that when your parents fall short. Remember that Jesus has forgiven you, and He wants you to show His love to others by forgiving them—including parents!

Today's Key Verse: And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Forgive your parents