MAY 6, 1Peter 2:23

Kok Tong stormed into the hall where his parents were reading. “That’s it!” he blurted out angrily. “I’m through being Mr. Nice Guy!” Kok Tong’s father looked up from his magazine. “Whoa! What are you so upset about?” Dad asked.

 “I’m beyond upset!” Kok Tong exclaimed. “I’m mad! I’m the one who started this whole football club,” he continued. “I’m the one who found the balls and site for that first game, and…” Dad held up his hand. “So what happened now to make you so mad?” Kok Tong got to his feet and began to pace across the floor. “What happened is I was practically dumped from the team! Now that they’ve got a lot more guys to choose from, they--our manager included--forget I’m the one who got things going. I even got Burger King to donate those T-shirts for us.” Kok Tong looked over to see if his father was becoming properly upset at his news.

Dad asked, “Are the new guys good players? Better than you?” Kok Tong whispered “Well—they’re okay, I guess, but I’m the guy who got things going! I don’t have a problem letting the new guys play some of the time, but I almost never get to play anymore. It’s not fair, Dad!””

“Maybe it’s not really fair,” Dad said quietly. “Things in this world aren’t always fair. Try to look at this as an opportunity,” he encouraged. “You told me you’ve invited some of your buddies to come to church. Maybe if you take this calmly, the guys will see that being a Christian makes a difference in your life and actions. Do you think you could do that for the Lord?”

It was hard for Kok Tong to accept what his father was saying. “You know,” Dad added, “Jesus was treated extremely badly by people, too, and He’s the one who got everything in the whole universe started!” Kok Tong knew it was true and that being bitter and angry about what happened wouldn’t change anything. But handling it calmly might make a difference.

Thought: How do you act when you feel you’re mistreated—or when someone does something that really hurts you? At a time like that, do you react with love as Jesus would?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the lesson. Help me to live a life so friends can see that You make a difference in me! Today’s text tells how Jesus acted when He was mistreated, and may I learn from this perfect example in Jesus. This I ask in His name. Amen.