The Gift
Hi Downey church, friends and family. I’m happy to be able to share our kids story again. Today, the story is called “The Gift”. All right.
So do you ever have a bad attitude? Do you ever scream and stomp your feet and yell at mommy and daddy? Wooof, this boy looks really upset. You know, sometimes even mommies and daddies feel this way, too. I know I have this week. And you know, it’s really easy for me to say, That’s just who I am. And I can’t help it. Do you know what? This week I heard someone say something. And it really made me think twice about that statement. And that’s, I really thought that I couldn’t change me, because that was just me. That this preacher shared that we do have control over our emotions. And she shared something that happened to her. She said that her pastor came to visit. Oh, Would you boys and girls have this same bad attitude? I don’t know what to do. If your teacher came to your door, it came to your house, or maybe a principal, or maybe your coach, or for us parents, our boss, would we lose our temper in front of them people that we admire, and that we want to like us back? Maybe not. What if it was Jesus? What if Jesus is the one that’s watching us? Does that make us think twice about our behaving? He’s always watching. He is. He’s taking notes.
So I have a special acronym for you. And it is S.M.I.L.E.
S stay safe. When you’re in a bad situation and you’re feeling really upset. And you really need to blow some steam. Here’s what I want you to think about when I what I want you to go back to one, number one, stay safe. If you are in a situation that is not safe, go away, take a break. If you’re at school, take a bathroom break. If you are at home, go for a walk, get some fresh air, get out of a situation that’s not safe to mention your troubles to God.
Or M Mention your troubles to God. Because guess what? He cares, and he loves you. And he wants a relationship with you. That’s what he wants.
And I Imagine yourself handing that big problem. Oh, they mistreated me. They made me so angry. Whatever it was, they hurt me. They made fun of me. They embarrassed me those big things that make us have these big emotions. Give that imagine yourself giving that over to God and saying, Jesus, I don’t want to carry this as hurts too much. You’re a big strong man, you can handle it. I don’t feel like I can handle it now. He can take care of it. Remember, Jesus lived on this earth. And there were some really ugly people around them too. And they did some really ugly things to him. He knows what it feels like. He’s lift it. He’s strong. You can take it we can give it to him.
And l List three gratitudes really fast. Where are you in control of what can you still do? What can you think God for? What are some great things that you still have going on around you despite this situation that you are in.
And Exhale out your mouth and breathe in through your nose. For five deep breaths, you’re gonna see it’s going to help your body comb and return to a better state where you won’t be yelling and screaming and stomping your feet and doing all these things that later you’re probably going to regret. I know I do.
Alright, so Isaiah’s gift. This week, Isaiah gave me this bracelet. And it’s kind of hard to tell because it’s a little faded now, but it’s full of these smiley face beads. And it’s strung together with pipe cleaner. And I was looking at it. And it really got me thinking, all the smiley faces on this bracelet smiling back at me, made me think how loving am I smiling? You know, sometimes when weeks get hard, I don’t smile very much. I just say do this, don’t do that. Come on, let’s go faster. And I feel like that’s all I do. And this is a nice reminder that you know what, I’m going to choose to smile, just like my bracelets, just like these smiley faces, I’m going to choose to smile, and I’m going to choose to enjoy every day. Because every day that we get to spend here on earth is that gift, a big gift from God. He’s giving us an opportunity to enjoy this blessing of being here with our friends, and our family, and learning and growing and eating delicious food. There’s all these wonderful things that we get to have here. So thank God for that.
I just want to remind you of our purpose, we are here with a purpose. Our purpose is to share God with others. And you know what? They’re listening to the words that you’re saying, and they’re listening to you. You say, Oh, thank you, Jesus for this. They’re hearing that, and they’re watching your actions. So let’s make sure that our actions reflect our God so that they bring others to him, so that we can see him soon. All right, let’s say a quick prayer.
Thank you so much Heavenly Father, because you have just given us the very best gift you gave us life. You gave us love. You gave us family, you gave us so many countless blessings. And we are just so eternally grateful to you, Lord, father, and just the idea that we get to spend eternity with you is such a huge, exciting reward. That we don’t want to miss it or Jesus, help us when our bodies are feeling like we just can’t handle it reminds us that we can and that we can gain control again, and that we want to do this to show others that we love you and that we have you in our hearts. Be with us this week. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
All right, bye boys and girls.