Are you bullying others?
Devotional for Kids
“I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can’t. I do what I don’t want to – what I hate.
“I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking.
“But I can’t help myself, because I’m no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do these evil things.” Romans 7: verses 15, 16 and 17. [The Living Bible]
Wow! These are strong words and you probably don’t want to admit that this describes you sometimes. Do you know that a preacher wrote this about himself? He was an apostle of Jesus who everyone in the Christian church looked up to.
The apostle Paul wrote these words and he wrote a lot of books in the Bible to teach us how to live for God. He admitted that he felt like we all do sometimes; he did wrong things, he sinned, because he couldn’t help himself.
As God’s child we are very lucky or blessed. We have God to help us. When we feel angry, frustrated and neglected we can go to God because we know He loves and understand how we feel. The best thing is that in spending time with God in praying and reading the Bible, His Word, we even feel better after. We can tell Him how we feel and ask Him to change our hearts.
What should we do if we are angry or frustrated? If we are taking our frustrations and anger out on others by calling them names or hitting or hurting them in some way, we are bullying them. We might be doing that because we want to be in control or we just feel better after taking our frustration out on someone else.
If you feel angry a lot, talk to an adult you can trust, like your parent or teacher. They will help you plan ways to deal with your emotions in a way that doesn’t hurt other kids.
Talk to God. Tell Him how you feel, and what happened to make you feel this way. Ask Him to put right feelings of love, compassion and forgiveness in your heart and mind.
There are physical ways of getting rid of your anger and frustrations too/ Go for a walk or a run. Play hockey, basketball or your favorite sport. Go for a swim. Punch a stuffed garbage bag. Sing to quiet your mind.
Learn to be a good athlete, join a drama club, study to be an A student. When you excel in something people respect you and give you attention. This builds your self esteem so you feel good about yourself and gives you confidence that you can handle your life better.
In Genesis 4: verses 6-7 God asks Cain, “Why are you so angry? Why is your face so dark with rage?” Then God says, “It can be bright with joy if you will do what you should! But if you refuse to obey, watch out. Sin is waiting to attack you, longing to destroy you. But you can conquer it” [The Living Bible]
You have a choice. Cain chose to ignore God’s advice to stop being angry and he chose to kill his brother. That reminds me of the shootings and violence that happen in schools sometimes. You probably would never do something that extreme but even hitting, and punching and putting others down by name-calling makes God sad because it is sin.
God doesn’t leave us alone in handling our sin or wrongs; He says if we confess our sins He forgives us through Jesus. He makes us strong to do His will.
Going deeper as parents:
Our example has a huge effect on our kids. When we put others down by yelling at them, punching them or bossing them we are teaching our children to do the same.
Do you feel the need to be in control or in charge all the time? God says to humble ourselves and put others needs ahead of ours. We need to look at things through God’s eyes, seeing His perspective.
Ask God to work the fruits of His spirit in you, found in Galatians 5: verse 22. “..when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” [The Living Bible]
Memory verse for this week:
“If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.
“In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” Proverbs 3: verses 4, 5 and 6 [The Living Bible]
Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://www.ruthwillms.com
Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://www.ruthwillms.com
