Weekly Thought From T - Pray for Them

Week of 12-5-10

Hey Everyone!

Hope you've had a great weekend!

What I'm talking about this week has been on my mind for a couple of weeks now.  It all started with a prayer card written by one of you that said something like this, "God, please bless all the people who make fun of me at school.  I can't imagine how sad they have to be - or what must be going on in their lives for them to be so mean to someone."

WHAT?  Bless those who make fun of you?

I mean, I know this kid - a GREAT kid - and I wanted to knock some heads together!  Who would make fun of him?  He's the sweetest/greatest guy!

But he was right........someone who needed God's forgiveness, blessings, love. 

I don't know when I was in high school if I could have written a prayer card like that.......

Last week at LOOP I sat with the junior high.  We talked a lot about what they were going through - things they struggle with.  Through tears several boys and girls shared how difficult it was to be made fun of at school.  Some for the color of their skin - others for the way they looked........

It absolutely broke my heart.  My kids were with me and on the way home Anna-Prin asked, "Mom, why do people at school call that girl ugly?  She is beauuuuuuuuutiful!" 

I don't know Anna-Prin.......

Last week I was at the Advent Festival with my kids.  We were eating dinner in Great Hall when a little girl - with obvious special needs walked passed our table.  My son Carter looked at her and said, "MOM LOOK!!!!"  My heart sank for what was next - I was so nervous he was going to ask, "What happened to her?  Why does she look like that?" But instead he said, "Look how beautiful she looks!!"  She passed; the mom smiled and said, "Thank you so much....."  I couldn't help but get choked up - and said to Carter, "I have never been so proud of you."  He said, "Mom, why? And why are you crying?  She was beautiful." 

Of course she's beautiful.........but how many of us take the time to see that?

Why do we spend time making fun of people?  Why is that a popular thing to do?  When did that become cool?  And why doesn't it go away?

Fast.

I can only imagine how difficult it is for these kids after a class, or a lunch, or a day of being made fun of.  How do they recover from that?  The cost on someone else's soul - for a moment to feel cool.  When really - there's absolutely nothing cool about it. 

This afternoon I went to the cemetery where two of my children are buried.  There was a couple there who had recently buried their child.  The dad was reading a story to the grave - while the mother sobbed along side him.  As I walked away tears just poured down my cheeks and I thought, "We have absolutely no idea what people are going through."  I could have stood next to that person in the line at the grocery store today and never knew her pain.

I have no idea what people are going through.

You have no idea what people are going through.

And the boy who wrote the prayer card is right - Jesus has told us time and time again, the only choice we have when it comes to one another is pray.  Pray for each other, pray for our enemies and pray for ourselves.

In 1 Peter 3:9 it says, "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

I believe it.  I believe that we will blessed for being kind to those who don't deserve it - those who have sinned against us - hurt us.  I believe that we could never understand what they might be going through - how much hurt or sorrow or fear or insecurity or whatever it is that motivates such disappointing behavior.

Our love, compassion and prayers are really their only hope.

I love you.  Always will.

T