Bible Reading: Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Peter 2:9-12

"But I don't want to wear mismatched shoes, Kassi," Brooke informed her best friend. The two girls were sitting together while riding the bus for a class field trip. During the drive, Kassi shared with Brooke how she longed to be unique--to stand out from the crowd and be different. But Brooke thought Kassi's idea about

how to showcase her personal style went too far.

"If you wear one of my shoes, and I wear one of yours, we'll be wearing one of each. We're the same size, you know. Two different shoes--that's totally being different!" Kassi seemed so excited.

"Sorry, Kassi." Brooke shook her head.

That evening at home, Kassi talked with her grandfather on the phone and explained her goal of being different. "Grandpa, I don't want to be just like everybody else; I want to be uniquely me. You know, the individual God created."

"God did a great job of making you, Kassi! And I know He is pleased with you. Simply being different isn't always better though," Grandpa answered.

Kassi thought about this as Grandpa continued. "Last summer, you gave your life to Jesus, remember? You put your trust in Him, who died for us, for the forgiveness of your sins. Now, as His child, you are called to be different--but not so much when it comes to the shoes you wear."

"What do you mean?" Kassi asked.

"God wants His people to be set apart, dedicated to Him. God desires for you to be different in your character, your love for Him and others, and your obedience to Him. That matters much more to Him than how you dress," Grandpa replied.

"I get it, Grandpa. Since I belong to God, I need to make it my goal to be different from others by being more like Jesus instead of by making unusual fashion choices."

"God tells us to be holy as He is holy--and He has given us the Holy Spirit so we can live in a way that shows others we belong to Jesus. You can do that and wear mixed-up shoes at the same time," Grandpa assured her.

Kassi laughed. "But next time, I won't try to convince Brooke to join me!"

– Allison Wilson Lee

Bible Reading: Matthew 13:44; Philippians 3:7-8

Roman tapped his fingers on the console of his family's minivan. He was about to honk the horn when he saw Mom lock the front door and swoop his baby sister onto her hip.

"Hurry," Roman mumbled. He wanted to get to the game store early.

Mom opened the back door and secured his sister in her car seat, then slipped into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Finally," said Roman. When Mom turned and arched a brow, Roman knew he needed to reign in his impatience. "Sorry, Mom."

She smiled. "I know you're excited, but you need to calm down. We'll get there." They pulled out of the driveway and headed toward town.

Roman opened his wallet and counted the bills neatly lined up inside. He'd helped with yard work and done extra chores around the house to save up for the new PlayBox video game console. It had taken him five months, but today he would be one of the first kids to own the only gaming system that would give him access to the latest and greatest downloadable video games. He could hardly wait.

When Mom pulled into the parking lot, Roman's heart plummeted. Swarms of people stood outside the door, and the store didn't open for another thirty minutes. How could there be a line already? He unbuckled his seatbelt. "I'm going to get in line."

"All right," said Mom. "I'll be at the grocery store next door. Come find me when you're done."

An hour later, Roman held the large box in his hands as they pulled out of the parking lot. "Do you have any money left?" asked Mom.

"No." Roman ran his finger along the edges of the box. "But that's okay."

"It was worth it?" asked Mom.

Roman looked at his mom and smiled. "Totally."

"You know," said Mom, "there's a story in the Bible about a man who sells everything he has to buy a field with hidden treasure. He wanted that treasure so much, he was willing to let go of everything else. Jesus says God's kingdom is like that."

"Really?" asked Roman. "How?"

Mom looked at him. "What do you think?"

Roman squinted into the morning sun. "Because being in God's family is the best treasure ever, and knowing Jesus is worth more than anything else?"

Mom smiled and nodded. "Totally."

–Vickie Price Taylor

Bible Reading: Philippians 4:4-9; Colossians 3:15-16

CRASH! Mae threw one of her toys across the room. Why does everything have to be so difficult? Flopping on her bed, Mae grabbed her stuffed octopus and flipped it inside out. Now it was frowning back at her. "That's how I feel too, Oki."

"What happened? I heard a crash." Mom slipped into Mae's room and sat down next to her daughter. "Uh-oh, I see that Oki's face matches yours right now."

"I can't get that bracelet right! I even read the instructions and watched that video on it, but it's still not turning out."

"Yes, I can see how that would be frustrating. Why didn't you ask for help?"

Mae shrugged. "Sometimes I just want to figure it out on my own."

Mom nodded and sighed. "I do that sometimes too."

"You do?" Mae looked at Mom suspiciously.

"How about last week when I got that new mixer and tried to put it together?"

"You were really frustrated!" Mae recalled. "Good thing Ben can figure stuff like that out."

"Your big brother was very patient and got it working, but I had to ask him first. I also had to ask God for help."

Mae's eyes widened. "God helped you put the mixer together?"

Mom laughed. "Not physically, no, but He did help me with my attitude. You remember how I was pretty upset with myself when I couldn't figure it out? I could have allowed that frustration to determine my attitude for the rest of my day, but instead I prayed and asked God to help me remember that I have the Holy Spirit in me and can let my attitude reflect His love. I was grumbling and irritable, but with God's help, I chose to focus on what was true, right, and lovely, just like it says in Philippians chapter four."

"God helped you flip your attitude," said Mae.

Mom nodded. "It's okay to get frustrated, Mae, everyone does. What we do when we're frustrated is what matters. Do we stick with this face and attitude--" Mom grabbed Oki and turned her inside out "--or do we trust God to help us not lose sight of His goodness, love, and promises, even when we feel frustrated?"

Mae winked at Mom. "Oki does look better with a smile."

–Savannah Coleman