Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 4:16-18

Skye sat on her front porch step. The sun shone from a clear blue sky, but deep inside, Skye felt as if a dark cloud hovered overhead. She looked down at Rags, her new brown puppy. She picked him up and hugged him.

Just then Dad, who served in the military, got home. "What's wrong, pumpkin?" he asked as he sat down beside her. "You look as if you don't have one friend in the whole wide world."

"I--I just wonder what's going to happen," said Skye. "What if…" She hesitated. "Sometimes I almost wish you weren't in the Army. What if you get transferred overseas? I'd be so lonely if you were so far away."

"I understand how you feel--I'd be lonely then too," said Dad. "But remember how we prayed and talked about how God cares for us, no matter where we are?" Skye nodded, and Dad gave her a hug. "No matter where I might be sent, Jesus is with me, and He's with you and Mom and the rest of the kids too. He died and rose again to give us eternal life, and we can trust Him to be with us and take care of us, no matter what happens."

Skye sighed. "I know."

Dad looked at the little dog resting peacefully in Skye's lap. "Think about Rags for a minute," he said. "Do you remember how lonely he was the first few days you had him?"

Skye nodded. "He cried for his mother a lot, especially at night when there was nobody to pay attention to him." She buried her face in the puppy's furry neck.

"But you gave him so much love that he learned to depend on you, and he's happy to be with us now." Dad reached out to pet the little dog. "If you care so much for your puppy, don't you think the Lord cares even more for us?" Sighing, Skye nodded. "And just like Rags trusts you to take care of him, we can trust God to do the same for us," added Dad. "We may not always like everything that happens, but we can trust Jesus to be with us and give us the strength we need to carry on."

–Marilyn J. Senterfitt