I was writing notes for my devotionals the other day, and thanks to The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, I came up with a happy and healthy theme.
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Happy and Healthy
Tag: Bible
I read this blog post from the Washington Post this morning entitled Smart design + school = health. It described beautifully why atmosphere is important in the classroom. The final quote stood out to me:
“We really focused on what kids need. What I see in that space are kids gravitating to that atmosphere because they know it’s for them, about them. Everything is tailored to their needs.”
Dina Sorensen, project designer, VMDO Architects
Every time we say or write something, we are in danger of starting a fire. In the book of James, chapter 3, the apostle gives us a big warning on why it’s so hard to control the tongue.
“Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!”
James 3:5 (KJV)
There are times I wished I followed the actions of this kid.
As I get ready to teach kids today, I’m thinking about how important it is to choose wise words. I pray I will do okay, or at least avoid damage. A flippant or insensitive comment can cause a lot of damage.
So I’ll keep it short today. Let’s use our words carefully and wisely.
We hear and read news about the threat of wars and verbal barbs about someone who did this and said that. It captures our attention and makes us wonder what the future is. So it is good to remind us there is a future for peacemakers.
Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
Psalm 37:37 NLT
Sadly, those who work for peace don’t grab the headlines as much as those who embrace conflict. We don’t tend to qualify what a person is saying or doing by whether it is honest or good. We like a good fight and we especially like the person who shares our views to put the other side in their place.
But what if the future belongs to those who promote peace? Indeed, there are only two choices in this world; those who work towards war and those who work towards peace.
We look forward to peace though it is in short supply. Remember a few months ago when we spoke about peace on earth?
Are All Conflicts Necessary?
We have values that we are willing to fight for, and we should. But what about those that don’t really matter? If we paused to think about why we may feel angry and ready to fight, is that skirmish with our neighbor really worth fighting for?
Are there some battles that are only jeopardizing our future? Most of us have memories of being angry at someone, but we can’t remember why. The emotion lasts longer than the actual offense.
If we are honest with others and show good to others, perhaps that will go much further than our animosity towards others. Occasionally, it may even make the news for a good, worthy reason.
Consider if that conflict is necessary today. Pause to consider if we are less angry at that person in front of us and angrier at a similar person that did us wrong years ago. Be honest. Be good and remember there is a future for those who love peace.
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Loving Your Neighbor
This morning, I am going to be teaching kids what it means to love your neighbor. As I’m thinking about this, I naturally tend to think about Mr. Rogers. He had a nice way of making difficult concepts simple. Here is one of his quotes.
“When we look for what’s best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we’re doing what God does, so in appreciating our neighbor, we’re participating in something truly sacred.”
Fred Rogers
We teach our kids to immediately be suspicious of others. We tell our kids to be aware of “stranger danger.” And it is good to help our kids have awareness of potential hazards. Unfortunately, there are evil people out there.
But there are also good people out there. There are ways to nurture giving in our children. And really, loving our neighbor is all about being generous. We can love because we are thankful for what we have and can give to those around us who are in need.
But what if our neighbors have no material needs? We all need to be recognized and affirmed. It may look different for each person. Some may want to be left alone. If so, what are ways we can show love by being considerate and generous?
In a world that teaches us to be scared of our neighbors, I am thinking today about how to treat my neighbor like I would want to be treated. How do we become good neighbors?