"Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you." (Luke 6:27-31).
Today 21 youth attended our meeting, where our focus was "The Golden Rule." We read out of Luke and focused on the above scripture, Luke 6:27-31. We used skits to depict typical scenarios these kids face regularly which force them to choose to either react according to the world's standard, or to follow Jesus' commandments. They really got into it and I believe they walked away with a really strong understanding of how to apply these principles in their everyday life.
When we finished our discussion, the kids assembled bags for the homeless which contained various items we thought they might need (such as toothpaste, a toothbrush, dental floss, bottled water, deodorant, shampoo, canned meat and other food items, and the most important item--a gospel tract and a sample salvation prayer). Then we went out on our hunt! The kids get so incredibly excited when we do this--they search and search until they find people they think really need it. We are so led by the Spirit in this, too, because He literally guides us to them. The kids just glowed as their gifts were received with, "God bless you," "Thank you so much," "Thank you, sweetheart," and even one "Thank God!" They thought carefully over how to present the bag and what to say and each teen came up with what he or she thought was best. Their hearts were so sensitive to the needs of the people we were serving. We found a total of nine homeless people hiding out. It was such a small thing, what we did, that it amazes me each time just how grateful and happy they are when they see us. We should take note and crank up our own gratitude for the small things in life! If you allow God to express love and compassion through you, you will be amazed, too! I thank Him, and I thank you, for allowing me to bless others and to be blessed in the process!
