At the school sports day, my younger brother and I tied a rope around my right ankle and his left ankle. Amid giggles, we hobbled and swayed to the starting line. 

‘On your marks, get set, go!’ We somehow managed to synchronise our strides and crossed the finish line first. Smiling widely, I looked over at all the parents, but no eyes or cameras were aimed our way. I thought, ‘We won, so why isn’t anyone looking at us or cheering for us? Doesn’t anybody care about us?’ All the parents’ eyes were glued on their own children, and my brother and I had no parents to applaud us. They had both died a few years earlier.

  

Since then, today’s verse has taught me that I have always had and will always have a heavenly Father who loves and approves of me. I realised that my thought that I had no parent applauding me was wrong. God, our heavenly parent, is always watching us and cheering us on.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, remind us, especially those of us who do not have earthly parents, that we all have you. Amen