A Vanishing Act

Bible Reading: Isaiah 43:18-19; Lamentations 3:22-23; 2 Corinthians 5:17

“What’s your favorite present?” Ava asked her best friend, Luciana. It was the first time they’d had a chance to get together since Christmas.

“A bracelet-making kit,” Luciana answered. “It has beads and charms in all different colors and shapes!” Luciana held up her arm to show Ava the bracelet she made.

Ava drew her finger across the mermaid, unicorn, and rainbow charms dangling from Luciana’s arm. “That’s so pretty!” she said with admiration.

Luciana smiled. “What about you?”

“A vanishing artist board,” said Ava. “I love it! It looks like a small white board on an easel. You paint with water and a brush, then whatever you draw fades away in about five minutes.”

Luciana looked confused. “Why would you want to paint something that’s just going to disappear?”

“I already have plenty of paper, paints, markers, colored pencils—all the stuff that’s permanent,” Ava explained. “I like them too, but it’s fun to keep starting over on a new page, without any crumpled papers to remind me of my mistakes. My mess-ups completely vanish, without a trace!”

“But what if you liked what you painted, and now it’s gone?” asked Luciana.

Ava laughed. “Then I’ll do it again on paper.”

Luciana thought about it some more, then smiled. “Hey, Ava—your Christmas gift reminds me of the gift God gave us! A verse in the Bible says that every morning, Jesus makes us new again—although my mom says it’s actually a lot more often than that! Just like your vanishing board, He wipes us clean by forgiving us for anything bad we may have thought, said, or done.”

“Anything and everything?” Ava asked.

Luciana nodded. “He forgives us for all our sins when we trust in Him, and when we confess the wrong things we do to Him, He gives us a new day to try again. In God’s eyes, our mistakes have disappeared!”

“I know something else that can disappear,” said Ava.

“What’s that?”

“Those chocolate chip cookies I smell baking in the oven!” Ava shouted. Then Luciana and Ava did their own vanishing act—out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

-Bonnie Carr

How About You?

Do you wish you could erase some of the words you’ve said or things you’ve done? We’ve all made mistakes and said and done things that were wrong. That’s why Jesus came to earth and died on the cross—to take the punishment we deserve for our wrongdoing. When you trust Him as your Savior, your sins are forgiven, and He will give you a fresh start whenever you need it. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse:
Lamentations 3:22-23 Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning. (CSB)

Today’s Key Thought:

Jesus erases our mistakes