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

“Look at that cute little penguin!” Abby said to her friend Kayla. “Waddle, waddle! Penguins are my favorite animal at the zoo.”

“Look at this penguin. He’s flying through the water!” Mom called out.

“Wow, they’re fast swimmers,” said Kayla. “Let’s go see the polar bears now!”

“Okay. Bye, penguins,” Abby said. She walked with Kayla over to the polar bear exhibit. “Wow, look at his feet! They’re huge!”

“And his claws!” said Kayla. “God sure did make polar bears way different from penguins.”

Abby giggled. “Yeah, the only thing they have in common is they both love the cold!”

By the end of the day, they had seen animals from North America to Africa. Kayla liked the giraffes best, but Abby still loved the penguins. On the way back through the zoo, Abby and Kayla ran inside the penguin exhibit one more time.

“I could just sit and watch the penguins all day,” Abby said.

Kayla nodded. “Yeah, the penguins are really cool. You know, like awesome-cool. Well, cool-cool too. But I’m freezing!” Kayla and Abby both burst out laughing, then pretended to be penguins and waddled toward the exit.

When Abby got home, she showed her dad a penguin plush toy she’d gotten at the zoo gift shop. Then she waddled around like a penguin all evening, carrying her new plush toy in her arms.

During devotions that evening, Mom said, “You know, every time I visit the zoo, I come home even more amazed at God’s creation. All those different animals, from penguins to giraffes, are so uniquely made.”

“And we’re pretty unique and special too,” Dad added. “Listen to this Bible verse. ‘For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.’ God calls us His masterpiece! Out of all the creatures He’s made, we are the most special to Him—so special that Jesus became one of us and died to save us so we could enjoy eternal life with Him.”

“Wow,” said Abby. “God calls me His masterpiece? That is so cool!”

After they had closed in prayer, Abby held her penguin close and went waddling down the hall to her room.

–Lisa Fuller