Kris and Kell were walking on the trails in Madame Sherri’s Forest in New Hampshire, when suddenly a bicycle rider came out of nowhere and threw a paper clip at them! The bicycle rider was gone as quickly as he had appeared. Kell said, “That was very strange! Why did that stranger throw a paper clip at us? What had we ever done to him? Kris bent down and picked up the paper clip and looked at it closely. There was no secret message attached and there did not appear to be anything unusual about the paper clip, so Kris just put it in his pocket.
After Kris and Kell finished hiking, they went back to the parking lot to get their car. Suddenly, a delivery van roared into the parking lot and the driver jumped out and yelled, “I have a special package for a person who happens to have a paper clip in their pocket!” Kris was the only person who happened to have a paper clip in his pocket, so the driver gave him a big package.
The package did not weigh very much, and Kris was eager to find out what was inside. Kris and Kell ripped open the box and found that there was a smaller box inside, they opened the smaller box and found another box inside that one. Altogether they opened nine boxes before they got to the last box. When they opened the last box, they found a small note that told them to drive immediately to East Burke, Vermont. It gave them an address of a cottage that was reserved for them and said that they would be there three days and four nights.
Kell looked up East Burke, Vermont on her tablet and found that they could drive there in about 2 ½ hours, so they jumped into their car and away they went! It was dark when they arrived, but they found their cabin without any problems. The next morning when they woke up there was a note that had been shoved under their door. The note told them to go to Kingdom Trails. They had bicycles reserved for the next three days. They were supposed to explore the bike trails and enjoy the Vermont fall scenery.
Kell looked up Kingdom Trails on her tablet and found out that the local government and the private landowners in the area had worked together to make a bicycle trail network in the area. Most of the trails go through privately owned lands, but the owners do not mind because they want visitors to be able to experience this very special part of Vermont! There are over 100 miles of bike trails included in Kingdom Trails.
Kris and Kell were excited! They got in their car and quickly drove to Kingdom Trails. There were bikes waiting for them. The people at the bike shop helped to adjust the bikes for them, got them helmets and gave them a trail map. Kris and Kell eagerly started out on the trails, then it happened!! Some dark clouds started to move into the area and soon it began to rain! Kris and Kell thought that the rain would end soon, so they kept riding. The rain did not end, it got worse. The trails became muddy and slippery in places. The back tires of the bikes were throwing mud and water up into the air, and soon Kris and Kell had their backs covered with mud! It was totally disgusting!
Kris was ahead of Kell, and his bike threw some mud back toward Kell’s bike. That mud hit Kell right in the face! She was not happy! Soon they came to a little stream and Kell wanted to wash her face. The bank of the creek was slippery, so Kell told Kris to hold her hand and keep her from falling in. This was a good plan, and it almost worked! Kell was just finishing washing her face when Kris’ feet slipped on the bank! With a piercing scream Kris slid down the bank, slid right into Kell, and they both fell into the stream. The stream was shallow and very muddy! Both Kris and Kell were soaking wet and covered with mud! Kell said, “This is a total misadventure!”
That night in their cottage, Kell complained and said that she did not want to ride a bike for the next two days, in fact, she did not care if she ever saw a bike again!
The next morning the rain had stopped, and the clouds were gone! The sun was shining, and it was a beautiful morning! Kris begged Kell to go bike riding with him again, and after much pleading she agreed to try it one more time.
That day the weather was perfect! The sky was so blue after the rain, and the sun was shining, but the biggest surprise was the trees! The leaves on the trees were changing to their fall colors! The trees were covered with orange, red, and yellow leaves. In the gloomy rain yesterday, Kris and Kell did not notice the beauty of the trees!
Kris and Kell explored bike trails all day, and it seemed like every trail was more beautiful than the previous trail. They hated to see that day come to an end. The third day was an even better day! The trees were more colorful! Kris and Kell could not believe the beauty that surrounded them. They heard one of the people in the bike shop say this the trees had reached their peak fall color. The day was amazing!
Late in the afternoon, Kris and Kell knew that their time on Kingdom Trails was almost over, and they did not want it to end. They stopped alongside the last trail underneath a maple tree with bright orange leaves. Some of the leaves were gently coming off the tree and drifting to the ground around them.
Lesson Learned about God
Kris said, “Instead of going back to our cottage and talking about what we can learn about God from this adventure, why don’t we talk about God while we are spending our time under this tree?”
Kell agreed with Kris, and she said, “I think the thing that I learned on this adventure is that we need to accept change. God is in the process of changing each Believer into a totally new person, and sometimes that process is not easy.
When a person believes in Jesus, prays and asks Jesus to forgive them and take over their life, that person gets very excited! They cannot wait to be changed into the new person that God has planned for them to become, and they cannot wait to get to heaven to spend forever with Jesus! In the same way, we were very excited when we started out on our three-day adventure riding on the Kingdom trails.
Then the storm hit, we got cold, wet, and muddy, and we were not enjoying the adventure anymore. I wanted to quit and never ride a bicycle again! In the same way, it does not take a new Believer long to find out that living the life that God has for us can be very difficult at times. There are days when a Believer wants to just quit! At these times, the Believer must remember that the hard times are part of the process, and after coming through the hard times that Believer will be more like Jesus and will be changed a little more into the person that God has designed them to become.
On the second day of biking on the Kingdom Trails, the rain had gone, and we suddenly realized how beautiful Vermont is in the fall. Then on the third day, there was even more change, and the fall colors were even more intense! In the same way, in a Believer’s life, after they come through a storm, they suddenly realize that God is still in control, and God’s plan is the best! They suddenly realize that God has made their life more beautiful than it was, and that beauty continues to increase until they get to the end of this life and arrive in heaven where they will meet Jesus face-to-face! Then they will finally see that they are a masterpiece that God has been creating through all the difficult times in this life on earth!
In the Bible in I Peter 2:21 it says:
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ (Jesus) suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.
In the Bible in Romans 8:29 it says:
For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son (Jesus), so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
In the Bible in II Corinthians 3:18 it says:
So all of us who have had that veil (spiritual blindness) removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord – Who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.
In the Bible in Ephesians 2:10 it says:
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.
Report to the grandmother:
- At the travel agency – God has a good plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11
- Florida – God is watching over us, we do not need to be fearful. Psalms 23
- Wisconsin – Temptations. I Corinthians 10:13, Proverbs 14:12, I John 1:9
- Minnesota – Never take your eyes off Jesus. Matthew 14:22-33
- Kentucky – God’s Word (the Bible) is the truth! John 17:17
- Louisianna – Choose Heaven and the Tree of Life. Revelation 20:11-15, Revelation 21:27 thru 22:5
- Illinois – God is in control. Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28-30, Proverbs 16:9
- New Mexico – God is our place of safety. Psalms 46:1-3, Psalms 91:1-2, Psalms 18:1-2, John 14:1-3
- Alabama – Training for heaven. I Peter 1:18-21, I John 3:2-3, Ephesians 5:1-2, I Peter 2:21, II Timothy 4:6-8
- Georgia – Sin erodes a person’s life and brings death. Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 3:22-25a
- Texas – Jesus offers abundant life. John 10:10, Mark 12:29-31.
- Kansas – Humans are filled with hatred and evil. Genesis 8:21-22, Romans 3:21-25a.
- South Carolina – Reminder of the Crucifixion. Isaiah 53:3-9
- Arkansas – Jesus is Crowned with Glory and Honor. Hebrews 2:9-10, Revelation 19:16, John 11:25-26
- Idaho – Times of Refreshing. Acts 3:19-20a, Matthew 11:28-30, Isaiah 40:28-31
- Washington State – Obeying God is Important! James 1:22-25, James 4:17
- Oregon – Do not let your first love for Jesus erode. Revelation 2:4-5a, Psalms 51:10-12
- Ohio – We are secure in God’s hands. Isaiah 41:13, Psalms 139:9-10, Psalms 73:23-28.
- Iowa – God is in control: Past, Present, & Future. Hebrews 13:8, Revelation 4:8.
- South Dakota – Believers are the family of God. Ephesians 2:19-21, John 1:12-13, Ephesians 1:5, I Thessalonians 5:15-18.
- Indiana – Win the Race! I Corinthians 9:24-27, Matthew 25:21
- Michigan – Cost of following Jesus. Luke 14:27-33.
- Missouri – The Book of Life. Revelation 20:11-15.
- New Jersey – The Light of the World. Philippians 2:14-15, Matthew 5:14-16.
- New York – God will meet our needs. Philippians 4:19-20.
- Pennsylvania – A special place and rest in heaven. John 14:1-3, Hebrews 4:9-10
- Montana – Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. John 15:5
- Alaska – Jesus is the light of the world. John 1:4-5, John 8:12, Revelation 21:23-27, Revelation 22:5
- Maine – God’s Holy Spirit is like the wind: invisible, powerful and always working! John 3:8, Acts 1:8, John 14:26, Romans 8:26-27
- Massachusetts – God is preparing a special place for each believer. John 14:1-3.
- Maryland/Virginia – Perfect love overcomes fear. I John 4:17-19.
- Washington DC – Communion. I Corinthians 11:23-26.
- Virginia/West Virginia – Baptism. Romans 6:3-5, Colossians 2:12-15.
- Delaware – Jesus is returning. John 14:2-3, I Thessalonians 4:16-18, I Corinthians 15:51-53
- Rhode Island – Believers are like a lighthouse. Matthew 5:14-16, Philippians 2:14-15.
- North Dakota – Dealing with temptations. I Corinthians 10:13, James 1:13-15.
- Colorado – Faith and Trust. Hebrews 11:1-2, Proverbs 3:5-6, Ephesians 2:8-9.
- North Carolina – God guides and protects Believers. Psalms 23:3-4, Psalms 37:23-24, Isaiah 41:10.
- Connecticut – The Bible is true. John 17:17, II Timothy 3:16-17, I Peter 1:20-21.
- New Hampshire – Only God gives a meaningful & fulfilling life. Ecclesiastes 12:8-10, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
- Vermont – God is changing Believers. I Peter 2:21, Romans 8:29, II Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 2:10.