5. Me? Forgive THAT Bully?

Transcription

1 5. Me? Forgive THAT Bully? The Course Key Verse: 1 Peter 2:20 How should I respond when I suffer for no apparent reason? Matthew 5:43-44; Luke 6:27-28; John 15:12; Ephesians 4:29, 32; Philippians 2:3 4; Colossians 3:12-13; 1 Peter 2:20 The Goals As a result of this lesson the children will: 1. Know that God says bullying is wrong. 2. Stop being a bully and instead, show kindness to others. 3. Learn to forgive bullies and ask for help if they are being bullied. The Equipment Room For the following lesson you will need: 1. Pair of eyeglasses 2. Computer keyboard 3. Soccer ball 4. Visuals #1-3 [As PowerPoint.] The Warm-up Activity: Play a CD or video of God is Bigger than the Boogeyman. Scripture Memory Review Game: Stand children in a circle. Using an apple or an orange, have them pass the piece of fruit around the circle while music is playing. When the music stops, whoever has the apple or the orange gets an opportunity to say the verse. If they can say it, they get a prize. If they can t say it alone, say the verse together. Opening Ceremonies Songs: Sunshine in My Soul [See Olympian CD Track #2.] I Will Call upon the Lord; My God is So Big Bible Lesson Review: Tic-Tac-No: Divide the group into two teams and ask review questions. If a team answers correctly, they may put an x or o on the board. If they answer a question incorrectly, the other team has an opportunity to steal. If the other team answers the missed question correctly, then they can remove one of the opposing team s marks. The stealing team then takes the next question to put their mark on the board. Me? Forgive THAT Bully? Topical 49

2 The Coach s Corner Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me. Have you ever heard anyone say that? Do you think this saying is true? Why or why not? [Allow children to respond.] I don t. Yes, if someone throws sticks or stones at you, they can break a bone, but if someone calls you a name, teases you, or picks on you, it CAN hurt you. Has anyone ever made you cry or feel sad because of something he or she said? Have you ever been hurt by someone s words or actions? [Allow for short discussion.] Everybody in this room has had hurt feelings caused by someone s words. Maybe some of you have even been pushed, shoved, or physically hurt by another person. We have a word for people who hurt others on purpose. We call them bullies. Bullying is when someone says or does something mean to try to gain power over another person. It s not right, but it does happen. Bullies come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages. However, they are the same in one way. They all say and do things to hurt people on purpose. Let me give you a few examples of bullies. ADAPTATION > 1 Extra Action ADAPTATION > 9 Challengers Only ( 1) [Display Visual #1.] Jed was in second grade. He was having a hard time reading things the teacher wrote on the board at school. One of his classmates named Scott called him stupid because he could not answer the teacher when she called on him to solve a problem that was on the board. Sometimes it made Jed cry. He began to think that he really was stupid. He didn t want to go to school anymore. Finally, his parents made an appointment for him to see an eye doctor. Jed excitedly told some of his classmates he might be getting glasses. Scott overheard the conversation. He told Jed, Hey, now you re not only stupid, but you re going to be Four Eyes! Suddenly Jed hoped he didn t need glasses. He went to the doctor that afternoon, quietly hoping his eyes were okay. Sure enough, he needed glasses. [Hold up a pair of eyeglasses.] When he put them on for the first time, he was surprised at how much clearer things looked. But the next morning he didn t want to wear his new glasses to school because of Scott. His parents told him he had to wear them, so he obeyed them. Jed was very afraid of what Scott would say. When he got off the school bus and started walking to his classroom, he heard Scott s singsong voice, Four Eyes! Four Eyes! Stupid is wearing glasses! Jed had a hard time hiding the tears. For the rest of the day Scott called him Four Eyes. Jed wanted to throw the glasses away but he knew that would be wrong. When he got home that afternoon, he went to his room and cried. What could he do? [Allow children to respond. Set the eyeglasses on a table still visible to the class.] ( 9) Julie was in fourth grade. Her classmates at school had been learning how to use computers and she really enjoyed it. [Hold up the computer keyboard.] Julie s parents trusted her and allowed her to have her own e- mail address at home. Although Julie didn t have many friends at school, she liked to some of her cousins who lived far away. One evening she received a strange with a hidden return address. It said, Hey, Julie You re a Barbie girl in a Barbie world, you re just plastic and not fantastic, no imagination, you re an ugly creation, come on, Barbie. No parties for you! Signed, Someone who doesn t like you. Julie didn t know what to do, so she hit the delete button. The next day a similar arrived which she deleted. Every day an was waiting for her that told her she was horrible. She was called a Barbie girl and a dumb blonde. They said she was ugly, had no friends, and other terrible things. Julie couldn t figure out who the s were coming from. She tried to stop the s, but they just kept coming. Julie began to cry every time she read her and she stopped liking to use the computer. She thought it could be someone in her class and was afraid to mention the s to anyone. What could she do? [Allow children to respond. Place the keyboard next to the eyeglasses.] Sean was in sixth grade. He was big and strong. He had played soccer since he was little. [Hold up the soccer ball.] He liked the game and knew that he was the coach s favorite. This year he was the best player on the team. He would brag to his teammates about how good he was. During one of the games, Tom, a Me? Forgive THAT Bully? Topical 50

3 ADAPTATION > 8 Champions Only new team member, missed a kick, the ball was stolen, and they lost the game. After the game, when no one was looking, Sean grabbed Tom and pinned him up against the chain fence. He told Tom if he ever made that kind of mistake again, he would beat him up. For the rest of the season, Sean made Tom s life terrible by calling him names and threatening to beat him up. Sean felt like this was his team. Tom was weak and everyone had to be strong in order to win. Tom had to become strong and Sean would see to it that he did. What else could he do? [Allow children to respond. Place the ball on the table with the glasses and keyboard.] ( 8) Believe it or not, Jed, Julie, and Sean all went to a church that taught the Bible. All of them had received Jesus as their personal Savior when they were younger. All of them read their Bibles and prayed, but all of them were also in hurtful situations. Jed s teacher found him crying [hold up the eyeglasses] at school a few days later, and he finally told her some of the things Scott had done. The teacher had a meeting with Jed and Scott and their parents. She told Scott that his behavior would not be tolerated in her classroom. At home, Jed s parents read Matthew 5:44 with him. [Have a child read this verse.] This verse says we are to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, and pray for them. Jed and his parents began to pray for Scott every day. Jed tried to share some cookies with Scott at lunchtime and always tried to be nice to him. Eventually Scott stopped picking on Jed. Even though Jed was kind to Scott, they never became friends, but Scott did stop bullying Jed. [Put eyeglasses back and pick up computer keyboard.] [Display Visual #2.] One day Julie showed her mother some of the bad s she had received. Together they prayed for the person sending them and they read Luke 6: [Choose a child to read Luke 6:27-28.] Then Julie and her mother sent a return just using scripture verses. Together, they picked some Bible verses that talked about God s loving kindness and sent them back. For several weeks, every time a bad came, Julie and her mother prayed and a few verses were sent back. Eventually the s stopped, but Julie s mom encouraged her to continue praying for the person who sent them. One day Julie discovered the s had been sent by a girl in her class. The classmate s mother had left her family a few years ago. She was jealous of Julie and her family, and wanted to hurt Julie by using . Because she had been kind and had used Scripture in the , Julie was able to share God s love with the bully in her life. [Put the keyboard back and pick up the soccer ball.] [Display Visual #3.] Sean enjoyed going to church. He was active in Sunday school and in his church s Olympian program. He did his quiet time almost every day. He was going to get a special award for six years of memorizing Bible verses. Everyone at church thought Sean was a really neat person. One Sunday, his Sunday school teacher used a verse that Sean had memorized several years earlier. Ephesians 4:32. [Read or quote Ephesians 4:32.] This verse tells us that God wants believers to be kind to everyone. Tenderhearted or compassionate means we need to understand the feelings of others and not hurt them. At the end of the lesson, the teacher asked the group of boys if they had been kind and tenderhearted to others. With his head bowed in prayer, Sean thought about how terribly he had treated Tom on the soccer field all season. He was not being kind or tenderhearted. Instead, he had been bossy and mean. Sean prayed right then and asked the Lord to forgive him and change his heart toward others, especially toward Tom. That afternoon Sean talked to his father and confessed how he had treated his teammate. With sad hearts, the two of them prayed for Tom and talked about how Sean would ask for his forgiveness. The next afternoon, before soccer practice began, Sean walked up to Tom. Tom s eyes looked scared, but Sean quietly spoke to his teammate. He explained that he realized he had been wrong in being mean to Tom and he promised that his bullying would stop. Tom simply shook his head and walked away. As the weeks passed, Sean looked for ways to show kindness to Tom. At first, Tom didn t trust him, but eventually he was brave enough to ask Sean what caused the change. Sean was able to share the verse from the Bible that changed his heart and his attitude toward others. Tom not only listened to Sean but also accepted Jesus as His personal Savior. Because of the change in Sean, Tom changed too. Tom made a huge change because Jesus was now his Savior. Sean and Tom became good friends and went to church together. Me? Forgive THAT Bully? Topical 51

4 ADAPTATION > 4 Mostly Churched Children Neither Jed nor Julie had done anything wrong, yet they were hurt by someone who knew them. [Have a child read 1 Peter 2:20.] The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 2:20 that we need to have a good attitude when bad things happen to us for no reason or when we don t deserve it. It pleases God when we do that. ( 4) If Jed had yelled back when Scott called him names, Jed would not have pleased God. If Julie sent nasty return s, she would not have pleased God. To act in a way that pleases God, we need to know that God is in charge of everything. As children who received Jesus as their personal Savior, Jed and Julie also needed to pray for the person who was hurting them, be kind to them, and forgive them, even if the person didn t ask to be forgiven. Ephesians 4:32 says that we are to forgive others just as Christ forgave us. Nevertheless, they also needed to tell a grown-up about what was going on and that they were being bullied so they could get help. Were you surprised that Sean was fine at church and yet was a mean bully on the soccer field? Anyone can bully others; even you can. God showed Sean that he was wrong. He was able to repent and change the way he treated others. Running the Race Mostly Unchurched Children God has given us many verses in the Bible to help us through hard situations. Perhaps, like Jed and Julie, someone is being mean to you and bullying you, even though you have done nothing to deserve it. God values the way you respond to unfair treatment He wants you to be kind and forgive. Perhaps, like Sean, you are being mean to someone else. The Bible tells us that bullying others is wrong. I want you all to close your eyes and think about these things. Is someone bullying you? Let your parents or your coach know. I will be glad to pray with you about that person; we can add them to your prayer page in your Quiet Time. Are you kind to others or are you a bully to someone else? If you need to work on being kind, add that to your Quiet Time prayer page and ask God to help you obey His Word. God has promised to help us through all these things, but we need to please God by being kind, praying for others, and forgiving them. Maybe you are here today and you may be saying, I ve tried to quit bullying but I just can t do it. On our own, we can t but with Jesus in our lives, we can. Maybe you have never asked Jesus into your life and you need His help because you can t quit on your own. If you would like to hear more about how to have a personal relationship with Jesus and receive Him into your life, see me or one of the coaches. We will be glad to show you from the Bible how you can know Jesus as your Savior. Mostly Churched Children God has given us many verses in the Bible to help us through hard situations. Perhaps, like Jed and Julie, someone is being mean to you and bullying you, even though you have done nothing to deserve it. What verses can help you or others who are being bullied? [Allow children to respond. Place the references on the board or on PowerPoint. Suggested verses: Matthew 5:44; Colossians 3:12-13; Luke 6:27-28; John 15:12.] If you are being bullied, why not write these verses down on a 3 x 5 card and carry them with you. When times get hard pull the verses out and read them. Or perhaps, like Sean, you are being mean to someone else. It may be a classmate, someone at church, or even a brother or sister. The Bible tells us that bullying others is wrong. What are some verses in the Bible that tells us we should be kind or love others? [Allow children to respond. Place the references on the board or on PowerPoint. Suggested verses: Ephesians 4:29, 32; Philippians 2:3-4; Luke 6:31.] You need to memorize some of these verses as well as write these verses down on a 3 x 5 card and carry them with you. I want you to close your eyes and think about these things. Is someone bullying you? Let your parents or your coach know. I would be glad to pray with you about that person and we can add them to your prayer page in your Quiet Time. Are you kind to others or are you a bully to someone else? If you need to work on being kind, add that to your Quiet Time prayer page. Ask God to help you obey His Word. God has promised to help us through all these things, but we need to please God by being kind, praying for others, and forgiving them. Me? Forgive THAT Bully? Topical 52

5 Personal Training Time 1. Why do some people bully others? 2. Have you ever been a bully or been bullied? 3. What verses can help you stop bullying or stop being bullied this week? Write them down and next week come prepared to share how they helped you. The Big O vent Rope Around [See Big O vent Mega CD, page 296.] Did you encourage and cheer for the others on your team? We should be kind and encourage others in everything we do. Closing Ceremonies This week, let s be kind and show Christ s love to others. May we be a good and godly example to our friends, family, and even to those who are unkind or mean to us. Lesson Adaptation Explanations Extra Action: Have the children act out the parts of the three monologues. Mostly Churched Children: Brainstorm 1 Peter 2: Have them think of ways someone may be treated wrongfully for God. Then have them examine how someone should respond in a way that pleases God in each situation. Champions Only: Divide the children into groups and have them think of people in the Bible who have been bullied. Have each group pick one person and present the story of that person to the entire group. Challengers Only: Take time to discuss with the Challengers what they would do in this situation. Stress to them how important their words are and how they should be kind with their words. [If time becomes an issue, skip one of the other illustrations.] Me? Forgive THAT Bully? Topical 53

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