Our small group days are always something I look forward to. Mainly because you never know how its going to go. Conversation just happens. And a LOT of times, with middle school kids, you never know the route it can take.
Most of the time, it takes a turn to talk of how awful a sibling is. Of course.
Know that I would never share anything from our small group that is shared in confidence. I value what a small group is.... so I like to keep things vague...
But I learn from small group myself with these young souls.
This past week, our topic was on family.
I loved the questions on parents & what they say or do that aggravates the kids.
Every hand shot up quicker then I've ever seen with an answer.
Some of them were pretty funny & things I can totally remember bothering me too at that age.
Let me give a throw back to my own child hood days... Will Smith had it right when he said, "Parent's just don't understand"...
The 80's understood parents |
... or at least that's what middle school kids think...
We had jumped on the topic of chores & why parents make you do them.
Again, being vague, the answers were pretty funny to me.... dead serious to them.
"They don't like me"
"They want to make my life miserable"
"They had kids just to keep the house clean"
(... note to self - I missed out having kids & THAT'S why my house is always dirty!)
It took about 20 answers & some leading from the adults in the room to get them to answer the question, "but WHY do you think your parents have you clean up your room?"... "What's the purpose besides that they hate you?" :)
Finally... FINALLY... one kid said, "Maybe so we can learn responsibility"...
Ahhhh - there it is.
It really struck me how long it took for someone to say it...
& when they did say it, it was like a "HUH?" moment for most of the other kids.
Responsibility never crossed their mind.
It was just instant thinking of the negative. How awful life is because parents want a clean room without clothes all over the floor. Stupid parents.
I laughed about it...
& then thought about as an adult, I don't have anyone in my home telling me what to do, but I do have a Heavenly Father that gives me orders & commands & things that teach me responsibility & other life lessons...
& do I sit there like those kids & think,
"He doesn't like me"
"He wants to make my life miserable"
"He doesn't understand"
Do I see that everything God gives me, puts in my life, teaches me... it has a reason.
It really opened my eyes up to the things I go through... good & bad...
God has a purpose. I need to learn from it. We always need to keep learning from Him. We never get too old for it.
I was just talking to a friend out my daughter and how sometimes I see her growing and am so proud and then the next minute she says or does something and I wanna just smack her. haha
ReplyDeleteThen I thought...I wonder how many times God thinks that about me!
Then I just have to back off and pray for her and for me. We all have so much to learn. So glad God never gives up on us.
I always love your lessons...especially when you share about kids because I can SO relate. Abby has told me numerous times that I just don't want her to have any fun. Yeah...moms have a way of doing that! HA! Funny how their perspective can be so different when we're only trying to keep them on that straight and narrow path.
ReplyDeleteawww middle school is such a fun but difficult age! Definitely an impressionable age so it's amazing all together that these conversations are even happening! Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeletethe kid that spoke up and said responsibility is going places ha! loved your lesson, such a daily reminder i struggle with is seeing His grace in it all even the ugly. thanks for sharing :-)
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