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

"I'm going for a walk." Mel's attention shot up at Owen's announcement as he entered the kitchen. He still had his hoodie on, but he was actually wearing jeans, not sweatpants. "You want to join?" Mel nodded and jumped to her feet, and within a minute they were out the door.
Mel loved walking in their neighborhood downtown. She liked the scrunched-up houses and how close they lived to their neighbors. As she and Owen walked in silence, Mom's words from a couple weeks ago telling her that Owen had depression echoed in her ears. She kept glancing over at her brother, and eventually he asked, "Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Mel kicked a rock instead of responding. "Mel, what's wrong?"
Finally, she looked up at her big brother. "I just don't understand," she began. "Can't Jesus heal people? Why doesn't He heal you? Will you be sick forever?"
This time Owen kicked the rock before replying. "I believe Jesus can heal me and take away my depression. I'm not sure why He's not doing it now, but I know He will one day."
"One day like in a few more weeks?"
"Maybe," responded Owen. "But maybe not. It's complicated. Jesus promises us that when we trust Him as our Savior, He will save us from our sins so we can be with Him forever. But not everything is perfect--yet. It won't be until Jesus makes everything right when He comes again."
"What do we do until then?" Mel asked.
Owen took a deep breath. "We have hope. I know with certainty that God is faithful and incapable of breaking His promises. Having hope is having confidence in God."
Mel took in the sight of her brother. He was in a good mood today, but would he be tomorrow? Before she could say anything, Owen continued. "And when it's hard to hope, I take comfort in knowing that Jesus is still with me and can give me hope and peace."
Mel found another rock to kick, then looked to Owen and said, "Would it help if I made a sticker of Jesus's hope for your door? That way it'll be easier to remember."
Owen grinned. "I think that's a wonderful idea."
–Zoe Brickner

Mel peeked out of her room to see if Owen's door was still shut. It was. All she saw was the array of homemade stickers plastered over it. The door was closed a lot lately. Mel sighed. She wished Owen would play with her and tease her for the silly-looking people she drew.
"Dinner's ready!" Mom's voice startled Mel, but she grinned when she smelled her favorite chicken and pasta.
At dinner Mel glanced over at Owen's empty chair. "Mom, Owen's been acting strange. He rarely eats with us, and he hasn't wanted to hang out with me." The words tumbled out of her mouth.
"You're right," Mom said after a sigh. "Owen hasn't been feeling good lately."
"Is he sick? Does he need a doctor?"
"Well, it's his mind, not his body," Mom explained. "His doctor calls it depression. This sort of sickness can make it really hard to do the things you love, or even be with the people you love."
Mel was silent for a moment and traced her fork through the pasta sauce. "Is there anything we can do? I feel helpless."
Mom put her hands around Mel's. "Even though Owen is hurting, Jesus is with him and wants to comfort him. He died for Owen and understands what he's going through, and He promises to be with him through it. We can remind Owen that he's not alone and that Jesus loves him. I've been sitting with him in his room while he eats dinner. Do you want to bring up his plate tonight?"
While Mel dished up some food for her brother, she had an idea. She got to work before knocking on Owen's door. He opened it wearing his basketball hoodie. "I brought dinner, and this." Mel held out the sticker she'd made. It was of her, Mom, and Jesus giving Owen a hug with the words, We love you!
Owen laughed, and Mel smiled. "Is that supposed to be me?" he asked, pointing to the middle stick figure. Mel didn't get a chance to respond because Owen pulled her into a hug. Then he stuck her drawing on the inside of his door and said, "This way I can see it. And I'll be reminded that I'm not alone."
–Zoe Brickner

Poppy walked into the kitchen just as her mom was coming in from outside. It was a hot day, and her mom's face was bright red and dripping with sweat.
"Mom!" Poppy laughed. "What have you been doing?"
Her mom was breathing heavily, but she smiled. "I went outside a couple hours ago to clean up the lilac bushes. Well, they were in much worse shape than I thought. I just came in for a drink, but there's still lots for me to do."
"I'll help!" Poppy said, grabbing her gardening gloves.
As the two approached the giant lilac bushes in the yard, Poppy saw the thick vines that wound their way up and over all the bushes, shading them from the sun's light.
Mom picked up the hatchet, and the two of them got to work. Mom cut the vines off at the base and Poppy grabbed and pulled the vines from the bush. The vines held so tightly that it often took the both of them pulling until the vine finally released and the lilac bush bounced back to its full height.
"That was hard," Poppy said once they were finished. She was so tired she could barely lift the glass of iced tea to her lips!
"I agree," Mom said. "But you know what? Sometimes when I do yardwork like that, I remember that God is doing the same type of work in my heart. It makes the struggle a bit more bearable."
"What do you mean, the same type of work?" Poppy asked.
Mom looked thoughtfully at the bushes. "My sinful nature--my desire to do wrong things that go against who I am in Jesus--is a lot like those vines. Fighting against it often feels as hard as ripping those vines out. But, because of Jesus, I have the Holy Spirit, who gives me the power to resist sin and is helping me grow to be more holy--more like Jesus. When I rip out those vines, I'm reminded of the Holy Spirit's work in my life and how grateful I am that I don't have to fight my sinful desires on my own."
Poppy looked at the lilac bushes swaying easily in the breeze, thinking over her mom's words. She knew she had that same power in her too.
–Emily Tenter

As Macy walked with her mom to the barn, she began to pick a bouquet of wildflowers. She was so excited to see flowers again. Winter was over, and spring was budding everywhere.
"After we finish helping Dad and Jake with the chores in the barn, we can get those pretty flowers in a vase," Mom said.
Macy set the flowers down in the feed room and got some hay to give to the horses. "Good morning, Cinnamon!" Macy said as she pitched some hay into Cinnamon's stall. She gave all the horses hay, then helped Dad let a couple of the horses out to graze in the pasture. She laughed as she watched the horses dance around. "I think they're excited about spring too."
After they finished up in the barn, Macy grabbed her bouquet and walked back to the house with Mom, picking a few more flowers along the way. Mom picked out a pretty vase from under the kitchen sink, and Macy put some water in it and began to arrange the bouquet. Once she had the flowers arranged just right, she set the vase in the middle of the table.
During dinner that evening, spring was the main topic. Macy's parents and older brother were busy talking about all the things they needed to get done on the farm now that it was warmer.
"I love all the beautiful flowers I can pick now that it's spring!" Macy chimed in.
"And we enjoy your beautiful bouquets," said Mom. "You know, Macy, spring makes me think of my new life in Christ. Just like the trees and plants bud out with new growth, so do our lives when we trust in Jesus. God's Word reminds us that we are new creations who have the love of Jesus in our hearts and are able to share it with others."
"So, since I'm a Christian, I'm like a spring flower," said Macy. "I'm a new creation."
"Sometimes you don't smell like a spring flower though after you've been working in the barn," Jake said as he patted his little sister on the head.
"Jake!" Macy laughed. "Well, neither do you!"
Dad smiled. "All teasing aside, these beautiful spring flowers Macy picked for us can help us remember to be thankful for our new life in Christ."
–Lisa Fuller

It was a chilly afternoon in early October, and Ben and Grandpa were out on the deck planting bulbs in flowerpots. Grandpa showed Ben how to bury the bulbs deep beneath heaps of soft, powdery compost.
A week later, when Ben came to visit Grandpa again, he ran straight to the back door and looked eagerly for his daffodils and tulips. But all he saw was soil. "Why haven't my flowers grown, Grandpa?" he asked.
Grandpa chuckled. "Don't worry. They'll be here in the spring! You just have to be patient."
"The spring?" groaned Ben. "But that's forever!"
"It'll be here before you know it," said Grandpa.
Winter weather arrived. Christmas came and went. And before long, Ben had forgotten all about his bulbs. Then one spring day, it happened.
"Ben, come look!" Grandpa said, beckoning Ben out to the deck.
Ben gasped as he caught sight of his pot. It was filled with wonderful, colorful blooms! They looked so vibrant against the pale spring sky.
"Worth waiting for?" asked Grandpa. Ben nodded.
Later that evening, Ben groaned as he tried to memorize his verse for church. He kept getting the words muddled up.
"What have you got there?" asked Grandpa, looking up from his crossword puzzle.
Ben heaved a sigh. "It's a memory verse, but I can't seem to remember it!" He tossed the sheet of paper to one side and reached for his video game.
"You know," said Grandpa, "learning Bible verses is a bit like planting bulbs. You go out into the cold and bury bulbs in the earth, and then you wait. Nothing. And then you wait some more. Still nothing. And then one day, when you've almost forgotten about them, you turn around and there they are, poking their cheery little heads up out of the soil!"
Ben looked out at his flowerpot and smiled. He was really glad he'd taken the time to plant the bulbs. "But how is that like learning verses?"
"As you meditate on God's Word, you bury it deep down in your heart so the Holy Spirit can use it to remind you of the truth and promises of Jesus. Sometimes you forget it's even there. But one day, the perfect verse pops into your head, just when you need it most! Don't give up, Ben. Keep learning those verses!"
–Angela Jelf

Kayleigh looked out the window as the familiar countryside whizzed past on the way to her grandparents' house. "We're here!" she exclaimed when she spotted it. "I see Grandpa in the backyard with his bees."
She got out of the car and ran to the hives out back. As she approached, she saw her grandpa pull out a frame full of hundreds of bees.
"Looks like they're working hard!" said Kayleigh as she watched the busy bees scurry around the frame.
"Oh yes," said Grandpa. "The nurse bees are feeding the larva, the queen is laying the eggs, and other bees are cleaning or making honey. Bees even guard the entrance to the hive. Each of them has a special job so all the work gets done."
Kayleigh watched one bee clean out a tiny cell. It didn't seem like the most fun job to her. "What if the bees didn't want to do their jobs and stopped working?" she asked.
Grandpa raised his eyebrows. "Each job is vital to the hive, even the ones that don't seem as important. The colony wouldn't survive if the bees didn't do their work."
"Even the cleaning?" asked Kayleigh.
"Especially the cleaning!" Grandpa replied. "Bees are very hygienic." He looked at the bees on the frame thoughtfully. "It reminds me of what the Bible says in Romans. The church is one body with many members, just like the hive, and the members don't all have the same job. Some people teach, some lead, and others do things like serve those in need or find ways to encourage people. We need them all to have a healthy, functioning body of Christ that shares His love with the world."
"Do I have a job in the church?" Kayleigh asked.
Grandpa nodded. "We all have gifts and talents given to us by God. He will show you how you can use them to serve the church." Grandpa put the frame back into the hive. "And right now, little missy," he said with a smile, "I have a job for you."
"What's that?" replied Kayleigh.
"Go and ask Grandma when supper will be ready!"
Kayleigh smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Now that's a job I can definitely do!"
–Tara Whicker