Tag: Kids

PHOTO CAPTION: We can smile in the rain when we know God is with us. It helps to have family with us too.

The picture above was taken during a very wet, rainy Ranier’s baseball game. We enjoyed the game in spite of the rain and even better, the Ranier’s won!

Have you ever had one of those days? To borrow a line from a children’s book, one of those “horrible, no good, very bad days”? You know what I mean, one of those days when nothing seems to go right. You wake up late because the alarm didn’t go off. You stub your toe when you get out of bed. You have somewhere that you need to be, but your kids are dawdling and of course their shoes are nowhere in sight. You get an unexpected phone call with bad news. Your spouse comes home from work early because he caught the cold that you’ve been trying to get rid of and then to top it off, your car breaks down on your way to pick up your kids from day care. Maybe your scenario is a little bit different, maybe you get the lay off notice at work or maybe your an at home mom who wakes up to sick kids, and garbage strewn all over the kitchen because the dog managed to get into it. Maybe the washing machine decides to quit halfway through your first load and you have seven loads left to do. It’s tempting to say, “What next, God? Where are you in the midst of this craziness?” If you’re an optimist, you might say, “Yes, it’s a bad day, but tomorrow will surely be better.” But what if it isn’t? What if, like Joseph, it’s years before you notice that the light at the end of the tunnel is not a train? What if your dreams never come to fruition?

Of course, sometimes it’s others that get under our skin too. Like the driver of the car who cuts you off on the freeway or the lady who pushes in front of you at the check out line. Maybe the checker is rude to you or your spouse or your kids, parents, sibling ….  All of us can fill in the blank because life has a way of pushing our buttons.  People have a way of getting under our skin and sometimes , let’s face it, it’s not easy to be nice! (I find it especially hard to be nice when I’m in a hurry or tired.) So what do we do? We learn to trust God, forgive and keep moving forward. Why? Because God is with us and has forgiven us, time and time and time again. He is in control and He is orchestrating our lives moment by moment even when we can’t see through the darkness, He is there.

Hindsight, it seems, tends to give a clearer perspective on the things that happen to us than what we see when we are going through the tough stuff. Looking back at my own life, I see many times when something frustrating or unfair in my life was really God’s providence. I remember getting something on my dress when I was a young teen which kept me from going to church with my mom that night. Had I went, I would have been severely injured in a car accident. I remember getting frustrated when every bonus or income tax refund seemed to go towards yet another unexpected expense at our house. (Why is it that the fridge decided to die, the day before our tax refund came in the mail?) Yet looking back I see that we never went hungry, we always had a home and jobs. God provided for us over and over again. Oh yes, that time we were late getting out of the house? There was a bad accident on the freeway just minutes before we left. 

Usually we don’t have any idea why bad stuff happens. Yet when we continue to view life through the lens of trust, knowing that God is with us, then the bad stuff can be a time of drawing close to God. Do you trust? Do you trust that God is with you and working in you to bring good out of every situation? We learn from tough experiences and we build character and tenacity as we go through them. Then when we come out on the other side, we have empathy for others. We can identify when others are going through hard times. Yes, we may never know completely this side of heaven why bad things happen, but we can trust. Just maybe God is at work weaving the tapestry of our lives into His picture; His beautiful story of grace and forgiveness. Together with other believers, someday the story will be complete. God’s picture is BIG and beautiful and you can be a part of it. 

Joseph may have wondered why he went through all that he did. Still he trusted. I’m learning to trust too, day by day, moment by moment.  Just maybe God is at work in my life. Oh, trust is sweet! When I trust, it’s so much easier to see the bigger picture. I can let go of the daily frustrations knowing that God is in control. I can forgive because He has forgiven me. God is at work! What’s He doing in your life right now?

PARENT PRAYER:
Dear God,
I do question the why’s when bad things happen, but I am also trusting you. I know that you are with me and I am learning to rest in your grace and love. Even in the tough times, I know that you are there and that you are leading me through. I know that you will continue to lead me and that you are growing me as I continue to look to you and walk with you. In place of frustration, help me Lord, to stop long enough to look up and look to you for the bigger picture. Help me to forgive others who hurt me or who are unkind in any way. Remind me Lord, that I too need grace and forgiveness often. Teach me to see others through your eyes. Thank you for your amazing grace, love and faithfulness. All my life you have been faithful. Thank you God! Amen

SOME FAVORITE BOOKS TO SHARE WITH YOUR KIDS

• “Mad Maddie Maxwell” by Stacie 
K.B. Maslyn
  • “Richard Scarry’s Please and Thank You Book”
    • “The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners” by Stan & Jan Berenstain
      • “Forgive and Let Go!” by Cheri J. Meiners, Illustrated by Elizabeth Allen
• “I Forgive You: Love We Can hear, Ask For, and Give” by Katy Betz and Nicole Lataif
  • “Forgiveness”by Cleo & Greg Duggan
    • “Penguin Says Please” by Michael; Dahl
      
      HELPING OUR KIDS FORGIVE
  • Acknowledge your child’s anger. Help them express their anger in an appropriate way. Easier said than done. Acknowledging anger doesn’t mean that you give in to your toddler when they are throwing a tantrum, but as they grow and learn you can say something like, “I understand you are feeling angry right now.” Then when they are calmer, talk about some appropriate ways to respond when they are angry.
    • For young children, encourage them to use their words when they want something or when someone makes them angry in some way. Using their words, even if those words are angry is much better than kicking, hitting, biting, etc.
      • Talk about and model saying, “I’m sorry!” or “I forgive you.”
        • Encourage and praise your child when they show forgiveness or empathy for someone else.
          • For parents and kids alike, pray for those you are having a hard time forgiving. You can also ask God to help you forgive.
            • Remember, forgiveness does not mean putting yourself or your child back in harm’s way. Remove yourself and your child from bullies or abusive situations.
              
              Kid’s Section
              
              STORY: Joseph Forgives – Genesis 45
              Remember Joseph’s brothers were mean to him. They sent him to Egypt where he had to work very hard for Potiphar. (Pound fists together for working hard.) Then Joseph was put in jail even though he didn’t do anything wrong. While he was still in jail, Pharaoh (the king) asked Joseph to tell him about his funny dreams. Pharaoh had funny dreams about fat cows and skinny cows, fat, healthy wheat stalks and skinny ones. Joseph told Pharaoh what God said about his dreams and Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of everything. He was like a king too.
              
              One day after Joseph had been in Egypt for a very long time. Joseph’s family needed food to eat because everything was very dry and not growing. Joseph’s dad, Jacob, heard that there was food in Egypt. He sent his sons (Joe’s brothers) to buy food. When they got to Egypt, they had to go see Joseph to buy the food. They bowed down (Bow down.) to Joseph just like in the dreams Joseph had a long time ago. They didn’t know who he was, but Joseph knew who they were. Joseph gave them food and asked them to bring their brother Benjamin back with them. The brothers went home. (Stand up and walk around like you are going home.) But soon they needed more food. They were worried about going back, but they needed food so they went to Egypt again and again they saw Joseph. This time Joseph told them, “I’m your brother Joseph.”
              
              “Oh no!“ they wondered, “Would Joseph be mad at them for the mean things they had done to him? Would he be mean back to them?“ (Look surprised and afraid.)
              
              Joseph said, “Don’t worry, I forgive you. God brought me here to save lives.” Then Joseph hugged his brothers. (Give self a hug.) He told them to go home and get their dad and all their families and bring them to Egypt to live. Joseph was kind to his brothers. He forgave them even though they had been mean to him. Joseph knew he could be kind because God was with Him. We can be kind to our families too. Let’s ask God to help us be kind this week just like Joseph was.
              
              MEMORIZE: Matthew 28:20 NIrV – (Hands like reading a book.)
              I am – (Raise hands upwards.)
              Always – (Roll arms.)
              With you – (Point to self.)
              
              PRAYER:
              Dear God,
              I’m glad that you made me and that you love me. I know I can you are always with me. Help me to be kind this week at home and at school. Help me to forgive others because I know you are with me. Amen
              
            • KNOW: Joseph forgave his brothers. I can forgive
              TALK ABOUT: Showing kindness and forgiveness.
              ASK: Who made you? God made me for a reason. Who is with you? God is always with me.
              AND DO… I can be kind and loving to others. I can trust God.
              
              FUN IDEAS FOR THIS WEEK
              
            • Think of something kind that you and your child can do this week. Maybe your child can let his/her sibling play with a favorite toy or you could invite a neighbor friend to play.
            • * Talk about feelings. Show me your mad face, your happy face.