Wilted Buds

Bible Reading: Jeremiah 29:11-13; James 1:2-4

“My whole life is ruined!” Addison said as her dad watered plants on the back patio. “Everything is going so wrong. We’re switching to a new lunch schedule this week, and none of my friends have lunch at the same time I do. And I failed the Spanish test I studied so hard for.” Addison frowned. “Why is God letting this happen? Doesn’t He love me?”

“Addison, you know He loves you very much,” said Dad as he began to water a large plant.

“Why are you watering that one?” Addison asked. “It’s going to die soon, isn’t it? Look at the buds—they’re all wilted.”

“This is an amaryllis. The buds don’t look good now, but the flowers will be beautiful,” Dad assured her. “You’ll see.”

“You mean those wilted buds will turn into pretty flowers?” Addison asked.

“Yes,” said Dad, “and you know what? Just like these buds look ugly to you now, everything in your life may seem to be going wrong. But Jesus loves you, Addison. He gave His life to save you, and He knows you sometimes have to go through tough times so you can grow and become more like Him. He has good plans for you. Trust Him.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Addison.

When Addison came home from school with exciting news one day, she found Dad on the patio again. “Oh, look at the flowers!” she exclaimed. She gazed at the miracle—four dark pink flowers had come out of one small bud. “Wow! They’re beautiful!” Addison said in awe.

“Yep. They’ve all come out and are in full bloom,” said Dad. “God’s ways are always best. Have you found that to be true in your life too?”

“Yeah,” said Addison. “At lunch today, I sat next to a new girl. She moved here from Ecuador, and she’s really nice. She told me she’d help me study for my next Spanish test, and I’m going to help her with English!”

“That’s great!” said Dad. “It sounds like God used a difficult situation to bring a new friend into your life.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “Say cheese,” he said as he snapped a picture of his daughter next to the beautiful flowers. • Rachel Reimer

How About You?

Do you feel like everything is going wrong? Does it feel like God doesn’t care? He does care. Jesus loves you so much He died for your sins, and He has great plans for you. But He knows there are times when it’s good for you to go through difficulties and testing to become the person He wants you to be. When troubles come, trust Him to use those hard times to make you more like Him.

Today’s Key Verse:
Joel 2:21 Be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. (KJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

God’s way is best