MAY 15,  Ephesians 4:32

“Look! Here comes that girl on her three-wheeler,” said Kim Seng. “She’s not very smart.”

“Yeah,” said Tom. “Let’s pretend we’re going to run into her and see what she does.”

So Kim Seng and Tom steered their bikes toward the girl. Fear spread across her face as they came closer. “Stop!” she shouted.

“Retard! Retard!” chanted Kim Seng, and Tom joined in. Laughing loudly, they steered away just in time to avoid actually running into the frightened girl. Just then, Kim Seng saw Mrs. Lim, their Sunday School teacher, coming out of her house. Feeling guilty, he turned and looked the other way. CRASH! Before he realized what was happening, he had run into Tom. Down they went—a tangle of boys and bikes! Kim Seng felt a sharp pain where his arm was badly skinned, and Tom was limping when he got up.

Mrs. Lim hurried to help them. She went back into her house to get bandages. “Do you like to get hurt?” she asked when she returned. “Do we like to get hurt?” Kim Seng asked in surprise. “Of course not.” “So how would you have felt,” continued Mrs. Lim, “if I had come out and pushed you over and then laughed when you got hurt?” The boys looked at her in wonder. “That would have been mean,” Kim Seng answered finally. Mrs. Lim nodded. “Yet that’s something like what you did to that little girl.” “We didn’t touch her,” protested Tom. “We just teased her a little.”

“Yes, and that is enough to her,” replied Mrs. Lim. “It hurts her to be made fun of because of her disability.” In their hearts, the boys knew that and felt guilty and sorry. “Jesus taught us to treat others kindly,” continued Mrs. Lim. “He treated everyone with love, and He wants us to do that, too.” Both boys looked ashamed. “I’m sorry,” said Tom. “Me, too,” said Kim Seng. “We won’t do that again. We promise.” Tom nodded.

In the following weeks, Mrs. Lim smiled when she saw that instead of teasing, the boys went out of their way to be kind and helpful to the little girl.

Thought: Are you kind to those who are different because of special problems? Or do you sometimes tease them?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You know that sometimes I can be mean. Thank you for reminding me that teasing can be very painful. Help me think how I would feel if I were in their place. Then instead of teasing, I’d treat them the way Jesus would. He was kind to everyone, and He wants me to follow His example. May I never forget this! In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.