Begin
Silence, Stillness, and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Consider beginning with the “Jesus
Prayer”, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on (me, my day
to come, my attitudes, me in my fear, me in my pride, my family, etc.) a
sinner/sinners all. Amen”
Silence, Stillness, and Centering before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading
“Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves”
Luke 22:24-27 (NLT)
Consider
The
following article was written by Ashley Trexler in the Washington
Post a few weeks ago.
It’s worth considering in light of the cross, Jesus’ approach to
power and the practicalities of trying to live out the Christian Life at home
She writes that,
“Bullying
starts and ends with an imbalance of power. Too much or too little, the results
are often the same: bullying behavior is simply a means to gain more power. Here
are eight ways you may be unknowingly encouraging bullying.
1.
Gossiping
Want to raise a mean girl? Act like one. . . .
2. Being too busy to show you care
You love your family. But relationships have their ups and downs, with the
direction often being down after children enter the picture. When was the
last time you told your partner or family members that you loved them?. . . .
3. The “I hate mys”
. . . .They hear their hero (you) act helpless and that will make them feel
powerless too. . . .
4. Mini-me syndrome
. . . . Current culture encourages us to treat our kids like mini-adults. But we
forget that we are adults (trying to be, anyway), and most of us took
decades to be able to even partially manage all this stress. . . . And an
outlet for stress? Bullying.
5. Over-scheduling your kids’ activities
We are scared our kids will be at a disadvantage if they don’t participate in
everything. . . .
6. Inconsistent rule enforcement
7. The triple-play: wincing, waiting, watching
Bullying happens at every age. Every time you watch someone or
something happen that you could help prevent with word or action, you are
a peer to bullying. . . .
8. Forcing your kids to share
Sharing is a learned skill that takes time, maturity, and encouragement to
develop fully. Ripping a toy out of your kid’s hand to give it to another kid?
Bad idea. Talk about sharing, encourage sharing, but most importantly –
teach sharing. . .
Want to raise a mean girl? Act like one. . . .
2. Being too busy to show you care
You love your family. But relationships have their ups and downs, with the
direction often being down after children enter the picture. When was the
last time you told your partner or family members that you loved them?. . . .
3. The “I hate mys”
. . . .They hear their hero (you) act helpless and that will make them feel
powerless too. . . .
4. Mini-me syndrome
. . . . Current culture encourages us to treat our kids like mini-adults. But we
forget that we are adults (trying to be, anyway), and most of us took
decades to be able to even partially manage all this stress. . . . And an
outlet for stress? Bullying.
5. Over-scheduling your kids’ activities
We are scared our kids will be at a disadvantage if they don’t participate in
everything. . . .
6. Inconsistent rule enforcement
7. The triple-play: wincing, waiting, watching
Bullying happens at every age. Every time you watch someone or
something happen that you could help prevent with word or action, you are
a peer to bullying. . . .
8. Forcing your kids to share
Sharing is a learned skill that takes time, maturity, and encouragement to
develop fully. Ripping a toy out of your kid’s hand to give it to another kid?
Bad idea. Talk about sharing, encourage sharing, but most importantly –
teach sharing. . .
Question to Consider
Which of the above hits home with you? Is there another attitude or behavior from which you must repent?
Prayer
"Lord, help me to see the ways I seek to lead out of power rather than love, And as you give me clarity, give me also the help I need at any given moment to replace power with love. In Christ's Name. Amen"hich of the above hits home with you? Is there another attitude or behavior from which you must repent?
Conclude with
Silence
(2 minutes)
For
more:
follow on Twitter @jefflampl
No comments:
Post a Comment