Kate closed the sliding glass door and entered the house. Sophie and Jacob jumped up and ran to her.

            “Is it ready?”

            “Can we start?”

            Kate laughed, tousled Jacob’s hair, and handed a clue to Sophie. “Everything is ready. Have fun.”

            Sophie immediately read the clue aloud. “Go to the place where new things appear every day, even though no one in our family puts them there.”

            Jacob bit his lip. “New things grow in the garden, but Dad plants them.”

            “And they aren’t new every day.” Sophie frowned. “This is hard, Mom.”

            Kate shook her head. “If it were too easy, it wouldn’t be fun. Think about it. Would it be outside or inside?”

             “No one outside our family is putting new things inside our house.” Jacob’s eyes widened. “I know!” He dashed toward the front door.

            Sophie scrambled to catch up to him. “Wait for me!”

            Kate moved to the front door to watch the kids retrieve the next clue from the mailbox. Mike came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re such a fun mom. Why aren’t you out there following them around?”

            “Because the next clue will bring them right back inside.”

            Sure enough, a moment later, the kids ran into the kitchen. Sophie pulled open the freezer and retrieved the next clue.

            For the next fifteen minutes, Sophie and Jacob ran around the yard, finding clue after clue. Finally, they dashed back into the house toward the laundry room.

            Kate grabbed Mike’s arm. “Come on, this is the last one. You’ll want to be there for this.”

            Kate and Mike hurried after the kids, just as Jacob pulled an envelope from the drier.

            Sophie bounced on her toes. “Open it, open it!”

            Jacob waved a hand at her. “I am, calm down.”

            Jacob’s face lit up as he read the paper inside. “Really?”

            Sophie grabbed for it. “What does it say?”

            “It says Mom and Dad are taking us to PlayZone tonight, and we can order whatever we want for dinner, plus get ice cream afterwards!”

            Sophie ran to hug Kate and Mike in turn. “Yay! Thanks, Mommy and Daddy!”

            Kate squeezed Sophie. “You both brought home such good report cards yesterday, we decided to celebrate.”

            That night, after a wonderful evening, the family gathered in the den for Bible time. Mike opened his Bible and gazed around at the others. “Instead of picking up where we left off in Luke, I’m going to read something different tonight. We’ll only read one chapter tonight, but it’s the longest chapter in the entire Bible.”

            Jacob’s brow wrinkled. “Where’s it from?”

            “I’m going to read Psalm 119. It’s a special Psalm. In the first section, all the verses start with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The verses in the second section all start with the second letter, and it goes that way all along to the last letter. This helped people memorize the whole thing.”

            Jacob’s eyes grew large. “People memorized the longest chapter in the Bible? That’s crazy. I have trouble sometimes remembering one memory verse.”

            Sophie folded her legs underneath her. “What’s it about, Daddy?”

            Mike smiled. “It’s all about God’s Word. It tells us God’s Word gives us direction, it is trustworthy, it helps us in hard times, and it shapes who we become. It basically tells us God’s word covers everything from A-Z, although the letters are a little different in Hebrew. Listen.” For the next several minutes, Mike read Psalm 119 to his family.

            When he finished, Sophie had another question. “Why did you decide to read that to us tonight?”

            “Because of your mom’s treasure hunt.”

              Sophie frowned. “I don’t get it.”

              “It reminded me of verse 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. The lamps they had in the Bible weren’t like the flashlights we have today. They were little oil lamps that only showed your next step.”

               Jacob straightened. “I get it – it’s like Mom’s treasure hunt cause it only gave us one clue at a time.”

               “That’s right. In order to get the next clue, you had to follow the first one. It’s the same way with God. His word tells us which way to go, but we have to trust Him with each step. God doesn’t tell us the future. But when we take the first step, He’ll give us enough light to take the next step. God doesn’t show us everything at once, but He always shows us enough.”

                Kate pulled Sophie into her lap. “I can think of something else that connects to our treasure hunt.”

                Sophie gazed up at her. “What, Mommy?”

                “When you finished following all my clues, you got a treasure. And when you finish walking in the way God shows you, you’ll have the treasure of living forever in heaven.”

Psalm 119: 103-105

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 

I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

God, You don’t tell us the future, which is for our own good. Sometimes we wish we knew what You have in store for us, but we can trust You know what is best. Thank You for Your word. Thank You we can trust Your word. We need Your guidance for every step we take. Help us step out in faith to follow the plans You have for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.