APRIL 14, 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Aaron threw himself onto the couch and wiped away an angry tear as he listened to the rumble of thunder and the patter of raindrops against the window. “This weather is terrible!” he declared as his dad came into the living room.

Dad stood with his hands on his hips, looking out the window. “Well, we certainly won’t be going to the zoo today,” he said.

“Today is going to waste! I had wanted so much to see the new African lions at the zoo,” snapped Aaron. “We can’t go swimming; we can’t ride bikes or play tennis...”

“Hey! Wait a minute!” exclaimed Dad. “This rain may dampen everything outside, but let’s not allow it to dampen our spirits.” “But how can we help it?” asked Aaron as he sat up.

“Easy!”replied Dad.“We change our point of view-change how we look at the situation. Instead of looking at all the things we can’t do because of the rain, let’s think about all the things we can do in spite of the rain. For instance, we haven’t had a good game of Monopoly for a long time. And the last time we played Scrabble, your mother and sister blew us away. Do you think we could get “revenge” today?”, added Dad with a smile.

Aaron leaped to his feet. “I bet we can!” he said. “Good idea, Dad! We’ve got some other games we haven’t played for a long time either. Let’s get them out too.” He paused. “Liz will want some time to read-but maybe then you can help me with my new model ship. And tonight we could watch a nice video, and have popcorn!

Thought: When things don’t go as you want them to, what do you do? Do you smile and make the best of the situation, knowing that God has a purpose for allowing it to happen?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray I will not grumble and pout when things go bad. Help me be thankful to You for whatever situation I am in. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.