Unfair!

WATCHWORD:

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and say false and all kinds of evil things against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Meditation:

Unfair!

I was 11-years old when my family moved from Ohio to Indiana, and I entered the seventh grade, in the middle of the fall semester. I was the youngest and smallest in my new class, had no friends and carried the burden of being a “preacher’s kid”.  The school I attended had two stairways at each end of the hallway. One was for going up and one was for coming down. Being new to the school, I was caught committing a capital crime, going down the up stairway. The next morning, in assembly, the principal chose that time to have me stand and tried me on my crime and suggested that “Escott needed an escort,” to the laughter of the entire school. Did I mentioned that I was the smallest in the class? His comment made me feel even smaller. A kid trying hard not to cry in a sea of his new peers.

I believe that every child goes through times of embarrassment, even demeaning kinds of experiences. Maybe it’s in the form of being bullied, or perhaps it is an unkind comment made by someone you thought was your friend. Those things happen in the course of our adult days as well, and being told by our Lord to Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, at that moment of pain or betrayal doesn’t seem to help.

As we survey the lives of disciples and the early church, we find all kinds of persecution, even tragedies. This is evident in the Old Testament with certain individuals. If we’ve been paying attention at all to what is happening around us, we know that we live in a fallen world. I believe we have all found, from her own experiences, that when we embrace Christ as our Lord and Savior, persecution will probably seek us out in one form or another. That is where our faith and trust must come in.

What our faith does give us is the strength to stand firm in the truth of the gospel, and to praise God in Christ for the courage to live with Him always. Remember, nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ. As Joshua was instructed — be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. ”

That 11-year-old? He survived! Praise the Lord.  Amen.

Bulletin Board:

Think of your grandkids as you read these actual stories from real kids —

“When I was in 4th grade I got bullied from a kid in an older grade than me everyday after school he would come to me and bully me until I told my dad about it and my dad helped and the bully did not bully any more so that is my story thank you for reading it bye.”

“I think bullying is wrong, it is mean and hurtful. Cyber bullying is a big form of bullying. You may get a text saying something hurtful or someone showing an embarrassing picture of you online. If this happens to you report it to a trusted adult.”

With my background in adolescent psychology and as a father/grandfather, I am aware that we adults too often gage what is happening to the younger generation by our own cultural and memory measuring sticks, when we need to try to understand their culture, their world. It is different, often with sharp corners. So be it.

The Shepherd’s Psalm as Closing Prayer:

(Message version)