Read: James 4:13-17; 1 Peter 4:7-11

Jade stretched and yawned. Then she jumped down from her place on the top bunk and hurried to get dressed.

“Let’s go, troops!” yelled a cheery voice from outside. “We have many miles to cover on our morning hike.”

“How can Ella be so cheerful at seven o’clock in the morning?” asked Hayley, one of Jade’s cabinmates.

“I don’t know,” Jade answered, “but I like it. Her cheerfulness rubs off on me. Let’s go.”

Jade and Hayley joined the other campers as they gathered in front of the dining hall. “Good morning!” said Ella, their camp counselor. “Are you ready for our adventure? We’ll fix breakfast a little way down the trail.”

A few minutes later, they were off. “Make sure you stay on the trail,” Ella told the group. “There was a heavy mist last night, and everything is damp. The grass is pretty wet, and your feet will be too if you walk on it.”

“It’s not misty now,” said Hayley. “Isn’t it funny how mist just disappears?”

“Yeah—like a vapor,” said Jade. “I learned a verse at church that says life is a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

“That’s right,” said Ella. “I know that verse too. It tells us how short life is—like a mist. And what did the mist do while it was here?”

“It made things wet,” Hayley replied. “It soaked the grass so much that we don’t want to walk on it.”

Ella nodded. “Right. And in a way, we soak our environment too. For example, do you know anyone who soaks you with joy?”

Jade spoke up quickly. “You do! You always soak me with your cheerfulness, Ella. You make me feel happy.”

Ella was surprised. “Why, thank you! But you know, the only reason I’m able to do that is because Jesus fills me with joy. Our lives may be short, but Jesus gives us the ability to soak other people’s lives with His love. When we trust in Him, He fills our short lives on this earth with great purpose—the purpose of helping others know He loves them and offers them eternal life with Him.”

–Kathy A. Brand

How about you?

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