Sour Cream

Bible Reading: Isaiah 40:27-31; Habakkuk 3:16-19

“Henry!” Sally shrieked. “Come quick! He did it again!”

Henry ran to the backyard where Sally was and saw his new fainting goat Sour Cream lying upside down in the grass—all four hooves sticking straight up in the air like popsicle sticks.

Sally looked worried. “Do you think we should help him?”

“Nah,” Henry told her. “Remember what Dad said? He’ll get up in a minute. Something must have spooked him.”

As Henry and Sally watched, Sour Cream rolled over and struggled to his feet. Just then, their younger brother, Ezra, tiptoed up behind the goat and yelled, “BOO!” Down went Sour Cream.

Ezra laughed and called out to Henry and Sally, “He painted again!”

Henry grinned. “Not painted, Ezra. Fainted—like this.” He demonstrated by falling over and sticking his feet up in the air.

Sally giggled and fell onto the grass, copying Henry.

Ezra tumbled after them and stuck his little feet straight up.

“What’s this?” their dad asked as he stood over them. “I thought we only had one fainting goat, and now I have four! I guess I’ll need to…TICKLE them!”

“Nooo!” Henry, Sally, and Ezra laughed and squealed.

When the tickle game was over, Dad said, “You know, Sour Cream makes me think of a Bible verse.”

“What verse?” Henry asked.

“In Isaiah 40:31, it says that if we put our hope and trust in God, He’ll help us be strong and not fall down. Just like Sour Cream, you probably feel like lying down and giving up sometimes rather than face something that scares you. When that happens, remember that Jesus is always there to pick you back up. We all face hard and scary things in life, but we can trust Jesus to give us strength and help us through them. We can stand strong knowing that we have eternal life with Him and that He’s always with us.”

The family looked over at Sour Cream calmly munching on grass.

“He looks fine now,” Sally observed.

“No more painting!” Ezra added. Then he fell over and stuck his feet up in the air. • Kelly Hope

How About You?

Do you sometimes feel like giving up when you face difficult things? Perhaps they fill you with fear or you grow tired of trying to do the right thing. Jesus knows how tired you can get and wants to give you exactly what you need. The next time you feel like giving up, trust Him to help you get back up again and give you strength.

Today’s Key Verse:
Isaiah 40:31 But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Trust Jesus to give you strength