Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids Keys For Kids Ministries

Editor's note: This story addresses violence and may not be suitable for some children.

Kendall sat on her bed and looked at her mother. "Can't we just stay home?" she asked. "I don't want to go downtown. I'm still scared." There had been a shooting in the city a few weeks before, and Kendall wasn't sure she ever wanted to go out in public again.
"Kendall," said Mom, "I understand you're scared, but we can't just hide at home for the rest of our lives."
Kendall slowly got up and went to the window. Looking out, she noticed a little dove all alone on the balcony. It rested peacefully until two large pigeons landed nearby. The young dove began cooing loudly in alarm. Kendall frowned. "If only that little dove had stayed in its nest, it would be safe." Before Mom could answer, the mother dove appeared and the curious pigeons flew away.
Mom gently stroked Kendall's hair. "Honey, that little dove was never really left alone. Its mother was always watching."
Kendall sighed and pressed her forehead against the window. "I wish we had someone to watch and protect us wherever we go so I wouldn't be scared," said Kendall. "Like a bodyguard."
"Oh, there's someone much better than a bodyguard looking out for you, Kendall," said Mom. "You're God's child, and He is constantly caring for you. He loves you, and He'll always be with you no matter where you go."
"But we can't be sure He'll keep us safe, can we?" asked Kendall. "I mean, sometimes Christians get hurt too."
"That's true," said Mom. "We can't understand why He allows some things to happen, but nothing can happen that He doesn't allow. And no matter what happens, He promises to be with us. Jesus died and rose again so we could be God's children and live with Him forever. So even though terrible things happen sometimes, we don't need to be afraid, because God has promised us eternal life with Him, and nothing can take that away from us."
Kendall thought about what her mother said. "So since God is my Father and He's with me, I don't need to be afraid anymore, even though the world is such a scary place."
Mom nodded. "God watches over you every moment. Trust Him. He'll never leave your side."
–Suzanne Daly

Enzo was watching TV when he saw small ripples appear in his glass of juice. A moment later, he felt slight vibrations throughout his body, as though someone had just started a car he was sitting in. "Mom!" Enzo yelled as he ran into the kitchen. "The floor is shaking!"
"Quick," said Mom, "under the table!" They scooted underneath the large kitchen table and stayed there several minutes until the rumblings deep in the earth below them stopped.
Once it was safe, they climbed back out, and Mom flipped on the news. "The earthquake we felt was 4.8 on the Richter scale," she said. "There were some buildings in the area with minor damage, but it wasn't very strong, and no one was hurt."
"We learned about the Richter scale in school," said Enzo. "It has numbers between one and ten that measure how strong an earthquake is."
"That's right," said Mom. "A 4.8 is considered a light earthquake."
"It didn't feel light," said Enzo. "It was scary!"
"Yes, earthquakes scare me too," said Mom. "When I feel one, I'm afraid it might damage our house or our town--or worse, hurt you or someone else. But earthquakes also remind me how powerful and holy God is and that He is in control of everything."
"How do earthquakes remind you of that?" asked Enzo.
"The Bible says that the earth trembles before the Lord," Mom replied. "Even though the huge tectonic plates that make up the earth below us seem incredibly powerful and unpredictable to us, God has complete control over them. There's no scale to measure how powerful He is. He's off the Richter."
"So the earth trembles before the Lord, just like I tremble in an earthquake?" asked Enzo.
Mom laughed. "Do you mean you tremble because you're scared or because you're shaking along with the ground?"
Enzo thought a moment. "Both!"
"Earthquakes are powerful forces of nature, but they're nowhere near as powerful as God," said Mom. "He has control over the entire universe, and yet He loves us and sent His Son to die for our sins. One day, the whole world will see His power when Jesus comes again to judge sin, but those who trust in Him have nothing to fear."
Enzo smiled. "What a great God."
–Courtney Lasater

"What is this?" Lindsey asked her grandma, looking at the metal trays and racks on the kitchen counter.
"That's honeycomb," Grandma said. "Grandpa took it out of one of our hives earlier."
"It doesn't look like honey," Lindsey said doubtfully.
Grandma laughed. "Right now, the comb is draining, so if you look under the metal rack, it should look like honey. Now I need to package it up so Grandpa can take it to customers tomorrow."
"Can I help?" Lindsey asked.
"Sure!" Grandma handed her a pair of gloves. "Why don't you put these on, then I'll show you how to do it."
When her mom picked her up later that day, Lindsey told her about the honey. "It was so cool, Mom! There was honey left on the trays, and Grandma let me taste some. It was so good--it tasted just like sugar. I got to bring some of it home so you can taste it."
"That does sound really cool," Mom agreed. "I can't wait to taste it. Did you know that there's a Bible verse about honey?"
"There is?" Lindsey asked. "About honey?"
"Yep. It's in the book of Psalms, and it tells us that God's Word is sweeter than honey."
"But the honey was so sweet!" said Lindsey.
Mom laughed. "Yes, honey is really sweet, and the Bible is even sweeter than that! God's Word teaches us about Him, and He uses the Bible to talk to us. Through it, He tells us who He is and how much He loves us, and He helps us understand what Jesus did to save us and how we should live as His children. Talking to Him and learning from Him are two reasons it's important to read the Bible."
"I like looking at my Bible." Lindsey bit her lip. "But I can't read it yet."
Mom smiled. "You'll be able to read it before too long! And listening to the Bible works the same way--that's why Daddy or I read your Bible to you every night before bed."
"Can we read the verse about honey tonight?" Lindsey asked.
Mom pulled into the driveway. "That sounds perfect."
–Kimberly Brokish

Kelvin sighed as he picked up a big box. "This room is full of stuff."
Mom wiped sweat from her forehead. "And we need to get it all moved to the garage. Theresa and her kids will be here soon."
Kelvin and his mom had been struggling since his dad passed away, and he had been surprised when Mom told him that her friend was going to move in with them for a while.
Kelvin made a couple of trips to the garage, then he dropped to the floor in the still-messy guest room. "I'm tired."
"Me too." Mom leaned against the wall. "We can break for a minute."
"Why are we doing this?" Kelvin asked.
"Because Theresa had a fire at her house," Mom said. "She and her kids can't live there anymore."
"I know that, but why do they have to come here? Aren't there other places they can go?"
"She's my friend, Kelvin," Mom said. "We help our friends when they're in trouble." Mom knelt on the floor. "I'll tell you one quick story, then we need to get back to work. When Jesus was doing miracles, some men came to bring their friend to see Him. Their friend couldn't walk, so they had to carry him to the house."
Kelvin looked at his mom. "They carried a grownup?"
Mom nodded. "When they got to the house, it was too full to get inside. Instead of leaving, they climbed onto the roof with their friend and made a hole in the roof."
Kelvin's eyes widened. "They took him on the roof?"
"They lowered him down through the hole," Mom said. "And Jesus healed him. The men did everything they could for their friend, showing him the kind of love that God shows us. Jesus laid down His life for us, and when we make sacrifices for our friends like He did, we show them His love." Mom stood up. "And now we need to get this room cleaned and set up for Theresa's family so I can be a good friend and show her God's love."
"We should get back to work, huh?" Kelvin got to his feet. "At least we don't have to carry people or climb onto any roofs."
Mom smiled. "Right?"
–Emily Acker

The wind blew through Georgia's hair as she and her uncle paddled their canoe among the reeds that filled the marshes near her new home. She didn't feel like paddling. Her mom had died of cancer four months before, and now she and her little brother were living far from home with Uncle Steve. The bayou, as Uncle Steve called it, looked like a swamp--nothing like Georgia's home in Michigan.
Georgia watched the marsh reeds bend under the force of the strong wind and muttered, "I know how you feel."
"What did you say, Georgia?" asked Uncle Steve, who had been doing more than his fair share of paddling for the last half mile.
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how those reeds and I have a lot in common." Georgia sighed.
"How so?" asked Uncle Steve.
"Well, they get blown around wherever the wind wants. They don't get any say in what happens to them." She sighed again. "Just like me."
"You know, Georgia, I think you're right. You do have a lot in common with these reeds. But not in the way you think. Look a little closer," urged Uncle Steve as he paddled them over to the reeds. "What do you notice?"
Georgia studied the cluster of reeds. It was true that the wind blew them around, sometimes switching directions abruptly. But no matter how hard the wind blew, the reeds just bent over and popped back up.
"They aren't breaking," observed Georgia. "As soon as the wind stops, they straighten back up again. But that's not like me at all. I feel like I'll never pop back up."
Uncle Steve stopped paddling. "There's a verse in Isaiah that says, 'A bruised reed He will not break.' Georgia, no matter how much the hardships of this life may bend you, you can hang on to the promise that you don't have to break because God loves you and offers you grace, peace, and hope. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins so that you could have the promise of eternal life and never have to face life's troubles alone. In times when it seems like you'll never pop back up, trust Him to hold you up so you won't break--just like these reeds."
–Laura Kuehn

"Wanna come to church with me this week, Finn?" asked Tobin, who was at his cousin's house for the day. "We're studying the life of Jesus in my Sunday school class, and I think you'd really like it!"
"Nah," muttered Finn. "I don't like church."
"How do you know?" asked Tobin. "You've never been there."
"I just know I won't like it, that's all. Let's go see what's for dinner." Finn led the way to the kitchen, where he peered over his mother's shoulder. "Salmon patties, yum!"
Tobin frowned, then felt embarrassed when he realized his aunt had noticed.
"Don't you like salmon patties, Tobin?" Aunt Kim asked.
Tobin shook his head. "No, not really."
"Have you ever eaten one?" asked Aunt Kim. Again Tobin shook his head.
"Then how do you know you don't like them?" asked Finn.
Tobin shrugged. "I just know, that's all."
Finn rolled his eyes. "Salmon patties are so good! But hey, if you don't want any, I'll eat yours."
"Before you do that, I think Tobin really should try one," said Aunt Kim.
"Yeah, give it a try," said Finn. "You might like it, Tobin."
Tobin started to protest but then stopped abruptly. "Okay, you win," he said, grinning. "I'll try a salmon patty."
"All right!" Finn gave him a fist bump. "I know you're gonna like it."
When they sat down to dinner, Tobin hesitantly cut into his salmon patty. He put it in his mouth and chewed slowly. "Not bad," was his verdict. He eagerly ate the rest. "I think I'll have some more!" Aunt Kim smiled and passed him the patties.
"You know, this reminds me of a verse I learned at church," Tobin said as he helped himself to another patty. "It says, 'Taste and see that the Lord is good.' The Bible tells us that when we get to know Jesus, He'll show us how good He is and how much He loves us. That's why I love church--it's a place to learn more about Jesus with others who have seen His goodness and love too." He grinned at his cousin. "Well?"
Finn looked at him thoughtfully. "Okay, I get what you're saying," he said. "Mom, can I go to church with Tobin this week? I want to give it a try."
–Barbara J. Westberg