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Attitude children cartoons motivation

When Did You Find Out You Were the Problem?

Frequently, we blame others for the problems we are facing. We think life would be perfect if only that person got their act together. We believe we are helpless to change circumstances and if only that person did their job correctly, things would be perfect!

It never occurs to us, we may have the solution. We are like the girl in my cartoon. She believes her teddy bear is keeping her from her favorite TV show. When she realizes she can change the channel, she may be in a much better mood.

If you are going through a challenge today, consider if you have more control than you realize. At the very least, we have control of our own attitude. If you are allowing someone to get under your skin, reconsider why you are giving that person that kind of control over your emotions. You have more choices than you realize.

Have you ever had a challenging time that became better once you realized you had more control than you thought? Share it in the comments.

Cartoon of girl and teddy bear. Girl says “I don’t like your taste in television.”
Categories
children's ministry children's ministry cartoons Christianity Christianity Religion Cartoons

The Mysterious Span of Time

It’s hard for kids to experience how long the span of time really is. To them, history is anything that happened before they were born. And it is true, isn’t it? It’s just that they have a hard time imagining an older person’s history wasn’t in the time of Bible stories or dinosaurs. To them, the Gettysburg Address and the fall of the Roman Empire all happened in that little span of time we call history.

I remember my Mom saying, “Just you wait! One minute you’re ten years old. The next minute you’re thirty-five.” Of course I didn’t believe her. Now I am older than she was at the time. Yes, you blink and time speeds by. But that doesn’t mean I lived during the time of Shakespeare. He wasn’t a cousin and we didn’t hang out together.

Time happens fast, and it drags on. I remember wondering if I would ever make it out of second grade. It must have been quite a boring year for me. I am happy to announce I made it through and then some. And so did my kids. Where did all the time go?

Time is an enigma. Embrace it and make the best use of it. Yes, you can tell them you lived at a time before smartphones. And you can patiently tell them cars and electricity was invented way before you were born.

Do you have any stories of kids having humorous issues with the span of time? Leave a comment and let us know?

Cartoon of a boy and a grumpy, old man. The man says, "Yes, I know Jesus. No, I wasn't there when he began his ministry."
Previously Published in “Kidzmatter Magazine.”
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cartoon

Dignity is overrated

When we are young, we don’t care what people think of us. We are willing to try new things because we are learning so much about the world.

Somewhere between fourth and fifth grade, our dignity gene kicks in. We start worrying what others think of us. We look over our shoulder and assess whether the next activity is cool or if it will make us look like fools.

The problem with this is that we have to be willing to feel foolish to try new things. Dignity is overrated if it causes you to do the same old thing. It is better to try, fail, learn and try again than to stay in the same old rut doing the same old things.

Categories
children cartoons Easter holiday

More Jelly Beans Prayer

cartoon of a mom and boy with jelly bean basket. The boy says, "I had a jelly bean prayer that you would buy more jelly beans."
I love jelly beans. There! I’ve said it! I loved them ever since I bit into my first licorice jelly bean. They gave me great satisfaction because I soon learned many kids didn’t like them. So I would happily collect all the black licorice jelly beans while my classmates would gladly hand them over.

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CHOG News School Cartoons

Prayer and Going Back to School

Cartoon of a mom and son. The disgruntled son says,

It can be tough to have faith that can move mountains when you have to go back to school. I probably prayed a prayer similar to the boy’s prayer in this cartoon when I was in elementary school.

School was stressful for me. I never knew if my pencil was really a Number Two Pencil. If I wasn’t so nervous, I may have had the wits to actually check the inscription on the pencil. I should’ve realized almost all school pencils are number two pencils. If I just got that through my head, maybe school wouldn’t have been so stressful. Then again, maybe I should have just prayed about my stress!

I drew this for the Church of God Newsletter.