1 Peter 4:12-13 - Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Tonight we talked about our attitudes
during times of tribulation.
We started the evening off with me re-enacting the
story Pastor Mike told about Bob Reccord in his book, "Forged by
Fire". I played an angry and bitter Bob who suffered from severe pain from
a back injury. I was tired, dependent on medication, my left arm was useless,
and I couldn't work anymore. Sitting outside on a cold and rainy day, I saw and
heard a bird singing nearby. I was irritated by the bird's audacity to sing in
such miserable weather, but the bird kept singing. Then the weather cleared and
the sun came out and warmed things up. The bird was there still, singing just
as before. Then it occurred to me that the bird sang in the cold rain as well as the
sunny warmth. It didn't matter what his outward circumstances were. Internally,
the bird had a song to sing joyfully. Convicted, I realized God was showing me
that I too had the same choice as the bird. I could let my
circumstances...pain, no job, left arm, and medication addiction shape my
attitude and keep on living bitter, angry, and full of resentment. Or my
attitude could rise above those circumstances and I could choose joy.
No matter
the weather, the birds still sing. That's because their singing has nothing to
do with the weather.
We talked then to the youth and asked
them the same question. What about them? Who do they "sing" to during
difficult circumstances? Do they let those circumstances mold their attitudes?
Do they try and choose to rise above those circumstances instead?
Next we gave each of the kids a piece
of sponge. We had several sponges as well. We put one sponge into a shallow dish of
water and let it soak it up. We told the kids that we are those sponges and
time in prayer and studying God's Word is the water. The more we are immersed
in time with God, the more the Holy Spirit can fill us.
Then we squeezed out our sponge. The
"squeeze" represents the tribulations we go through. But if we are
full of the Holy Spirit when those trials come, when we are squeezed, only an
attitude that reflects that we are Spirit-filled will come out of us.....the fruits of the Spirit...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.
At the same time, we had another sponge
soaking up grape juice in a nearby dish. The grape juice represented the other
things we choose to fill ourselves with besides God. We showed the kids that,
when squeezed, nothing good came from those sponges...only what they had
allowed themselves to be filled with,
which wasn't very pretty.
Sometimes, circumstances and influences
we can't control come into our lives though. Again, we let our water sponge
soak up as much water as it could hold. Then we placed it in the dish of grape
juice, or things that would cause us to have bad attitudes. Because the sponge was already full of water, it could not soak up any
of the grape juice in addition.
When we do what we can to make sure
that we are full of the Holy Spirit by spending time with God everyday, things
beyond our control that come along and try to rob is of our joy will not affect
us the way they would if we were dry and shriveled up like an unsaturated
sponge.
Only one thing is guaranteed in our
walk with Christ. Squeezes will come! What will pour out of us when they do? We
choose!
