Secret Project

Bible Reading: Luke 17:11-19

Jaden took the glue his mom handed him and ran out to the shed. He worked for a while on his secret project, then ran back to the house to find his father. “Dad, can I use a hammer and nails?” Dad helped him find what he needed, and Jaden grabbed the items and ran back to the shed.

After working a little longer, Jaden made another trip to the house. “Paint,” he said. “I need paint. Can I use some of yours, Maggie?” His sister agreed, so Jaden took the paint and darted out the door.

After school the following day, Jaden’s friend Kwan came over. Mom set out cookies and milk for the boys. “Thank you, Mrs. Trent,” said Kwan. And when it was time for him to go home, Kwan politely thanked her for letting him come.

Mom was impressed. “Kwan seems to be very polite,” she said after he left.

“Yeah, he’s like that,” said Jaden. “He even says thank you when our teacher hands papers back to him.” Jaden rolled his eyes.

“Well, that’s good,” Mom said. “After all, God says we should be thankful for everything. That means little things too. God has done so much for us—Jesus died and rose again to save us from sin, and He shows His love to us in so many ways. One way is through the people He puts in our lives who love us, teach us, and help us. We should thank Him for that, and we should thank other people for their kindness too.”

After dinner, Jaden worked on his secret project for a little while. When he returned to the house, he was grinning. “Look,” he said. “I’m finally done with my project. We learned how to make these in shop class at school.” He handed out the things he had made. For Mom, there was a bird feeder; for Dad, a shoe rack; and for his sister, a jewelry box.

Jaden beamed as his family exclaimed over the gifts and thanked him warmly. Then he thought of something. “Thanks for letting me use your paint for my project, Maggie. And thank you, Mom and Dad, for the glue and the hammer and nails. I couldn’t have done it without your help.”

– Nance E. Keyes

How About You?

Do you thank God for all He’s done for you? Do you thank others for the things they do to help you? In today’s Bible reading, only one man out of ten came back to thank Jesus for healing him, and Jesus appreciated it! Don’t take anything for granted. Give thanks to God for all the love and kindness He shows you each day, and let the people He’s put in your life know that you’re grateful for them too.

Today’s Key Verse:
Ephesians 5:20 Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (ERV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Say thank you