NOVEMBER 25 1 Timothy 2:1-8 

SILENT TREATMENT 

Justin frowned. “Joanna never quits talking!” he thought as he saw his sister coming up the walk. “I wish she’d leave me alone.” Then, he snapped his fingers. “I know what will fix her. I’ll give her the silent treatment!” So as Joanna came into the house, Justin retreated to his room. She banged
on his door and called his name, but he turned up the volume on his CD player so he couldn’t hear her, and Joanna finally gave up and walked away.

Later that afternoon, Joanna started to tell Justin something, but he covered his ears with both his hands and began to hum. “I’ll teach her,” he thought. All day, he refused to hear anything she said.

At dinnertime, Justin noticed that Joanna had changed clothes. “Are you going somewhere, Joanna?” asked Dad, who had just arrived home. “The neighbours invited me over for some tea and cookies!” explained Joanna.

“Sounds like fun,” said Dad. He looked at Justin. “You’re not going?” “I wasn’t invited,” Justin answered crossly. “You were, too!” said Joanna. “I tried to tell you all day, but you wouldn’t listen.” “Oh, no!” wailed Justin as Joanna left the house. 

That evening, Justin asked his parents for help with an assignment for Sunday school. “We’ll be having lessons on prayer,” he said. “Our teacher said if we’d each write a short essay on the subject, she’d bring a treat for us. But what should I write?” “Well, let’s see,” said Dad. “Maybe you could talk
about the importance of talking to God and listening to Him.”

“You could tell about how you missed out on fun today by refusing to talk with your sister,” suggested Mom. “Then explain that we all lose out on blessings when we fail to communicate with the Lord. We sometimes give Him the silent treatment.”

Dad nodded. “When we do that, I believe He is grieved, and it certainly hurts us. We need to keep open communication with Him and not try to work things out all on our own. He wants us to talk with Him about everything.” “Good idea,” said Justin. “I’ll call my essay ‘The Silent Treatment.’”

Thought: Do you regularly talk to God? Do you tell Him about everything going on in your life?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray I’d not give You the “silent treatment”, but always pray! That I’d ask for help to find the best way to solve problems, or praise You for the gifts and things I enjoy. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.