"Mmmm . . . smells good in here," said Monica as she and Kayla stepped into the kitchen. Monica had come home from church with Kayla.

Kayla nodded. "What's cooking, Mom?" she asked.

"Beef stew." Mom smiled as she lifted the cover off a crockpot. "I hope you like it, Monica."

When Monica murmured an answer no one could understand, Kayla looked at her suspiciously. "You don't like stew!" exclaimed Kayla. "I can tell!" She laughed. "Not to worry, Monica. You'll like this. Mom's stew is super good-trust me!"

When they began to eat, Monica reluctantly tried the stew. To her surprise, it was very good! "This is great!" she said. "I even like the vegetables."

Kayla's father smiled. "Aren't you glad you had faith in what Kayla said and did?" The girls looked at him curiously. "When you first heard we were having stew for dinner, Kayla was delighted. She has faith in her mother's cooking because she's tasted it before," explained Dad. "Monica, you were willing to try the stew because Kayla liked it, but it wasn't until you tasted it yourself that you really believed it was good, right?" Monica nodded.

"In a way, it's like that with our faith," continued Dad. "Our faith is based on God's unchanging Word, the Bible. We become interested in God because of the testimony of others who have proven that what He says is true, but we still have to step out in faith and decide to trust God ourselves. We're saved through faith. Then as we learn more about God and about His care for people who put their faith in Him, we learn to trust Him in all circumstances."

Kayla grinned mischievously. "So because Monica knew I liked Mom's stew, she tried it," she said, "but you know I don't always like the things Mom makes."

"No, but you know it's always good for you," said Mom. "In the spiritual realm, we may not always like to obey God or like what He allows to enter our lives, but we know it's always good for us. Accepting it in faith is pleasing to Him."