Tiny Devotional for Saturday, 07-24-2021

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, breakfast with the Saturday Men’s Group!

A wise man is strong,
And a person of knowledge increases power.
Proverbs 24:5, NASB

Future Superheroes

In 16+ years counseling 12-14 year-old students, I had opportunities to work with potentially-wise, potentially-knowledgeable students, feeling anything but strong and powerful.  A teacher, administrator, or bus driver referred them to me, because another student had bullied them.

Working with the other adults to develop a school culture that rejected bullying was one of the best things I ever did. It was a gradual process, and the job was never really finished. However, we did see some immediate and significant results.

Jeremy was a bright, personable, smallish 12 year old boy. Another student had taken some money from him, under ambiguous circumstances. The supervising teacher wasn’t sure WHAT had happened, but recognized Jeremy was in need of support. So: go see the counselor.

After hearing his story, I said this to Jeremy:

“You know you’re going to rule the world one day.”

He smiled, and replied 

“Well, at least part of it!”

Other things happened (he got his money back, the other kid was dealt with), but the important part for Jeremy was that he shifted from victim to victor, right then. He was already on the right path, but I don’t think he had ever seen how powerful his choices were.  While he remained a 12-year-old boy who had to go to school, I was able to help him bring some future power and strength into his somewhat-burdensome present.

Remember, when you experience a somewhat-burdensome present: weeping endures for a season, but joy comes in the morning.


Peace be on your household.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiny Devotional for Wednesday, 06-21-2023

Image
A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the Fairmount Pattersons are Papa-sitting this morning! It is better to live in a corner of a roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. Proverbs 21:9, NASB Today is the 21st of the month; so, Proverbs 21. I have written about verses 1-8;  it’s verse 9’s turn. Thus, my selection of this verse has NOTHING to do with my wife, mother, sisters, or daughters! All of them are intelligent, confident, and assertive; they are NOT contentious. ‘Contentious’ does NOT mean ‘has a different opinion’!  A man who has lived with a contentious woman gives the definition by example: I was 20 years old, and stupid (those might be the same thing).  I thought our marriage would work because she was beautiful, and I was, too. It didn’t take long before I realized I was wrong about that. Most of the time, it didn’t matter what I did; I couldn’t please her. We were married for 3 years,
Read more

Tiny Devotional for Sunday, 08-20-2023

Image
A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Piper doesn’t like her food. Differing weights and differing measures, Both of them are abominable to the Lord. Proverbs 20:10, NASB If this verse weren’t so important, I’d skip it, because I discovered it in a painful time. Others were involved, and their stories are not mine to tell. So, you get a parable: Stockman Bubba ran a cattle station, in partnership with his horse, Nancy. They worked hard together, and although they were not rich, they had achieved a degree of success. One day, a platypus stung Bubba, incapacitating him. Bubba tried to continue running the station, but after two years had passed, he realized it was time to retire. Nancy couldn’t adjust to this, and she left for life on her own. Three years later, Bubba realized Nancy was never coming back, and considered getting another horse. However, he was concerned that the other station owners would think bad
Read more

Tiny Devotional for Sunday, 07-23-2023

Image
 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, reach for the sky. Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the Lord always. Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-18, NASB Today’s verse is 18, but I included 17, because I THINK they are a couplet. I wrote about verse 17 last month, and will try not to repeat myself. Our senses describe the present, our memory describes the past; the future is described by our hopes and our fears. In this little verse, we are given one of the strongest foundations for peace: yes, you DO have a future, and it’s a good one. Under most circumstances, we take the future for granted. If you have ever been forced to doubt that a future exists, you know how chilling that is. ‘No future’ is MUCH worse than ‘bad future.’ This verse draws us back away from the abyss of nothingness, and back into reality: yes, you DO have a future.  (If that
Read more