“I’m OK, You’re OK”The title of an old best-selling book. “I Stink, You Stink”Many relationships end in failure is the truth.
God’s love “affects me because I feel loved, and that makes me love other people,”Rachel says 9.
Rachel identified the secret to healthy relationships. If we believe God loves and cares for us, then we can’t put other people on the same level as God. Do not make a idol of human relationships.
Love is essential for everyone. Only God can give us unconditional, perfect love every moment. You can be a conduit for God’s unconditional love through you. And you may be amazed at the results.
“The love of God comes through your spirit and makes you want to treat other people as God would want to treat other people,”Courtney: 10. “The love that comes from God is everlasting, everywhere and is faithful.”
“I don’t stay mad as long,”Stacy says 10. “It used to take days. Now, it takes about an hour to cool off. Once I got so mad at one of my friends that I didn’t talk to her for a week, and she remembers it, too.”
Stacy, I think of Michael Hodgin’s story about a golfer who threw his bag in a lake and stormed off of the course. When he appeared to be cooling off, his friends believed he’d gotten cool and spotted him wading in the lake. The bag was still wet so he took it out and unzipped its side pocket. He then tossed the bag in the lake again.
Trusting God is the best thing. “key”Jared, 10, suggests how to maintain your cool in pressure situations “Knowing God’s love helps you because you know that God will find a way to make things end up good. He can turn an impossible situation into a good one.”
Nicole, 10, says God’s love could transform your laziness to helpfulness. “Sometimes, I help my mom do dishes or clean the house. I help my dad by taking out the trash. Now, that would be love.”
Nicole, that’s true love. Ephraim (10) is the true story of your feet. “Sometimes when you play soccer, someone knocks you down. If you want to hit him back, that’s not the love of God. If you want to get him or her back, you lose your concentration, and you build up anger. If you had the love of God, you would be able to concentrate and not build up anger.”
In soccer, as in all things in life, anger in the form revenge and bitterness could cause you to lose your way. Paul the Apostle advocated that we forgive one another “even as Christ forgave you” (Colossians 3:13).
“The love of God is very strong, and he gives that love to you,”Lindsay: “In everything you do and everything you say, God will show you the right way to do or say it.”
Jordon (10) shares many examples. “When somebody is being picked on, or has no friends, cheer them up. If somebody gets hurt, try to help them and see if they’re OK. If somebody finishes last in a race, tell him he did a good job because he finished. Never say anything to put someone down.”
This is what you need to think about: God’s love can only transform “I Stink, You Stink”Relationships into “I’m Loved, You’re Loved.”
This truth is important to remember: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
Consider this: Is God’s love a conduit for blessing others? Or am I an individual who holds onto all the glory for myself?