Bible Reading: Psalm 27:1-3; Isaiah 41:10

Ava yawned as she came into the kitchen. Her brother Jayden glanced at her mischievously, then looked out the window. “Hey, Ava, how’d your bike end up on the roof of the garage?” he asked.

“What?” Ava ran to the window to see for herself. “Where?”

“April fool!” Jayden laughed in delight. “Gotcha!”

Ava grinned and gave her brother a soft punch on the arm as they sat down to eat.

At dinner, Ava and Jayden told their dad about the April Fools’ jokes kids played on each other at school. “It’s fun to have a day where everyone plays jokes like that,” said Jayden.

“As long as no one takes the jokes too far,” Dad said.

“Nobody did,” Ava assured him, “and everyone was expecting it since it was April Fools’ Day.” She paused to take a bite of broccoli. “But then there’s Louise. Today she was all smiles and sweetness to Mrs. Potter during math class but then said mean things about her at recess. Sometimes I don’t know what to make of her. She says she’s a Christian, but there are times when she doesn’t act like one. Like she’s just fooling people.”

Dad frowned. “I can think of three people right here who don’t always act like Christians. Let’s keep that in mind. It’s possible for any one of us to fool others.”

“But I’ve seen Louise do that stuff too,” said Jayden. “She acts one way around the teachers and another when they’re not looking. It’s hard to trust her.”

Ava nodded. “It seems like there’s another side to her that only some of us see.”

“Well, if what you say is true, that doesn’t mean she’s not a Christian,” said Dad. “We all struggle to do what’s right in some areas of our lives. But if any one of us is trying to fool people into thinking we’re Christians when we’re not, there’s someone who can never be fooled. God knows exactly what’s in our hearts. We can’t hide anything from Him, and we don’t have to, because Jesus died for us so all our wrongs could be forgiven. Now, let’s pray for Louise and think of ways we can show her love and support instead of talking about her.”

–Hazel W. Marett