Bible Reading: Luke 10:25-37; 1 John 3:16-19

After Baker and his mom got off the Ferris wheel, they joined a group of people crowding around a man with a painted face acting out various skits. Baker laughed with the crowd as the man pretended to be learning to ride a bike. But he wondered why the man didn't say anything. "Mom, why doesn't he talk?"

"Because he's a mime," Mom replied. "They never talk, but you can tell by their actions what they're doing."

Next, the mime pretended to wash a window. He acted as though he bumped his head on the pretend ladder. Later, he appeared to be eating an ice cream cone--and shot the crowd a look of dismay when the ice cream fell off. The crowd laughed and applauded as he acted out one scenario after another. The show ended with the mime making a sad face and waving goodbye to the crowd.

Baker turned to his mom. "Wow! He never said a thing, but I could figure out everything he was doing."

"Actions say a lot," said Mom. "Do you remember the story in the Bible about the Good Samaritan?"

"Sure," said Baker. "It's a story Jesus told about a man who needed help on the side of the road. Two people went by without helping him, and then a Samaritan came along and did all he could to help him."

"Right," said Mom. "And if the two people who had passed by earlier had said they cared about that man, would you have believed them?" Baker shook his head. "Jesus told that story to show how we should love others," Mom continued. "Saying you care about someone isn't enough--you also need to show them you care through your actions."

Baker's eyes widened. "So the Good Samaritan was really a mime?"

Mom laughed. "Well, I'm sure he didn't paint his face and perform funny skits, but he did communicate his love for others through his actions. Jesus did that too by taking the punishment for our sins on the cross so we could be saved. His sacrifice showed that His words of love for us were true. Let's let others know we care about them through both our words and our actions."

–Annette S. Bury

Bible Reading: Isaiah 48:17-18; Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 John 2:3-6

"Mom, I see the parade! It's coming!" Millie squealed with excitement and grabbed hold of her little brother's hand. "James, get ready, because they're going to throw candy right at us and we can put it in our bags, okay?"

James nodded and grinned. Millie looked down the street and hopped up and down in anticipation.

"Just be patient, honey," Mom called from her lawn chair. "It will be here soon."

Millie craned her neck to see down the street. The parade was still far away, but she could make out flags, cars, floats, and even a fire truck. She could faintly hear a drum and knew the band was marching her way.

Suddenly, she gave a little shriek of dismay. "It turned! They're going down a different street. They're not coming here!"

"What?" Dad jumped up and looked down the street, and Millie noticed everyone else getting up and looking around in confusion. "Come on, Millie!" Dad scooped up James, and they ran to the next block just as the parade arrived.

Millie forgot about all the confusion until they walked home afterward. "Mom, why didn't the parade go by where we were sitting at first? Were we in the wrong place?"

Mom laughed. "No, we were on the right street. I think the person at the front of the parade got a little confused and made a wrong turn. Good thing we caught up and didn't miss anything, right?"

"Right!" said Millie. "It was so much fun, and I got lots of candy!"

"You know, wrong turns like that can happen in our lives," Dad said. "The people in the parade all trusted that the person in front would go the right way, but they didn't. We can go the wrong way too by following people--like leaders or friends at school--because what they're doing seems right but isn't."

Mom nodded. "There's only one Person who can lead us the right way. Do you know who that is?"

"Jesus!" Millie and James both shouted.

"Right," said Mom. "When we know Him as our Savior, He forgives our wrong turns in life and makes us able to love others the way He does. We need to follow Him as He leads us in His example of love."

–Robyn Mulder

Bible Reading: Romans 3:22-26; Titus 3:5-7

Rosita wiped sweat from her forehead, then got back to scrubbing the pot in the sink. She was working as hard as she could to clean the kitchen before Mom got home. They'd had a fight that morning, and Rosita was sorry for the things she'd said. She sighed and scrubbed harder. I want this kitchen sparkling clean when Mom gets home from work, she thought. That'll make up for it.

She glanced into the living room where her little brother was watching cartoons. "Hugo, bring your plate and cup here so I can wash them. And I just mopped the floor, so be careful!"

But Hugo wasn't careful. He ran in and slipped when his socks hit the wet floor. His plastic dishes went flying into the air as he went sprawling across the kitchen, milk and crumbs raining down on top of him.

Rosita gasped. "Hugo!"

Just then the door opened and Mom walked in. "Wow," she said. "What a mess."

Rosita covered her face with her soapy hands and burst into tears. Mom and Hugo stared at her for a moment before Mom sent him upstairs to wash the milk out of his hair. "Rosita, what's wrong?" Mom asked.

"I--I've been working hard to clean the kitchen all afternoon. I wanted everything to be sparkling clean when you got here because I felt bad about what I said this morning. I wanted to make things right."

"Oh, honey." Mom gave her a hug. "You don't have to clean the kitchen to make things right with me. You're my daughter--I love you, and I'll always forgive you. But I know the feeling. In fact, I used to try to do the same thing with God. I thought I could make up for my wrongs by doing something right. But it wasn't enough."

"Because the only way to make things right with God is through Jesus, right?"

"You got it," said Mom. "When we trust Him to save us, He forgives our sins and makes us sparkling clean."

Rosita nodded. "I'm sorry for what I said this morning, Mom. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course." Mom grabbed a mop from the closet. "And now I'm going to make this kitchen sparkling clean!"

–Courtney Lasater