Mikey the Monkey was swinging carefree through the treetops when the sky suddenly darkened. "A storm is coming!", his mama warned, calling him down. With a heavy sigh, Mikey swung down from the tree and huddled close to her.
"Mama," Mikey asked, his eyes wide, "why do we have storms?" His mother smiled, patting him gently. "Let me tell you a story," she said, "a tale from ancient times about a man named Noah and a big storm."
"Thousands of years ago, there lived a kind man named Noah. He lived in a world that was sad and dangerous, because people had forgotten about being kind and loving. Seeing this, God decided to send a great flood to cleanse the world and start afresh."
Mikey gasped, "Was Noah scared, Mama?"
"No dear," she replied with a smile, "because God told Noah about the storm. He asked Noah to build a big boat, an Ark, and to fill it with a pair of every animal."
With wide eyes, Mikey asked, "Every Single One?"
"Yes, Mikey," she laughed, "from the strongest elephants to the teeny tiny ants. Noah worked hard and managed to safely bring every animal aboard."
Just as she said this, a lightning bolt lit up the sky followed by a booming thunderclap. Mikey clung onto his mama, but she hugged him tighter, continuing the story.
"And just as God had warned, the storm came and it rained for forty days and forty nights. But Noah, his family, and the animals were safe inside the Ark."
"But what happened next, Mama?" Mikey asked, his fear had turned into eager curiosity.
"After forty days and nights, the rain stopped. Noah sent a dove to check if the land was dry. But the dove returned, unable to find land. Noah waited seven days, then he sent the dove again. This time it brought back an olive leaf. Noah knew that plants were growing again. When the dove didn't return the third time, Noah understood that the storm was over and life had begun to flourish again."
Mama told Mikey what God told Noah after the floods ended. God said "A flood will never again destroy all life on the earth. I will give you something to prove that I made this promise to you. It will continue forever to show that I have made an agreement with you and every living thing on earth. I am putting a rainbow in the clouds as proof of the agreement between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth, you will see the rainbow in the clouds. When I see this rainbow, I will remember the agreement between me and you and every living thing on the earth. This agreement says that a flood will never again destroy all life on the earth." This made Mikey smile, to know that God would never again use a flood to destroy life.  
Looking into his mother's eyes, Mikey said, "That was a nice story, Mama, but it was scary. I can't imagine being all alone with a storm around!"His mother beamed, "My brave little monkey, realize this: storms may come and go, but with patience, courage, and hope, we can weather them. Noah did it, and so can we!"
This lesson made Mikey feel warm and brave, even as the storm roared outside. From that day on, he welcomed the storm as a friend, knowing that like Noah's Ark, his family's love was his own little safe haven.

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