Kidz Topic ... TRUST/ FORGIVENESS

This is a new segment of my blog where I will be sharing a variety of thoughts, scripture verses, and "sparkle" ideas just for kids. Feel free to pass them on to your children, grandchildren, or any other young people that God has put in your life.

KIDZ ☮ PEACE...  The last two weeks we’ve been talking about “friends” and “respect.” Without one, it’s hard to have the other. It’s also hard to have friends and respect without “trust and forgiveness.”

In today’s world, kids have to deal with so many pressures and concerns such as self-image, safety and violence, peer pressure, family financial struggles, emotions, divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, social networking, home life, eating disorders, dating, pressure to be the best, blended families, and so much more. These issues make it important to have people in your life that you can trust.

Trust means having confidence and believing in the good qualities or abilities of another person or thing. Who are some of the people you trust?  What is it about them that makes you feel that way?  What does trustworthy mean to you?

1. Qualities of a trustworthy person:
• Honest
• Dependable
• Responsible
• Trusty
• Truthful
• Follows rules
• Reliable, dependable
• Always keeps a promise
• Never mean
• Faithful

2. Trusting the Lord: Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” If we trust in the Lord, we will find peace, joy, and hope.

We need to trust that no matter what is going on in our life, God has a plan for each one of us. He is always with us and wants what is best for us. Does this mean that we will never have problems? The answer is NO - but during those tough times, we can remember that God hears our prayers, and always keeps His promises. God CAN be trusted.

So, how do we find our trust in the Lord? First, we need to believe that what the Lord teaches us is the truth. Next, we must respect His commandments. And finally, we must understand that certain things are non-negotiable – which means, God has set certain things in place for our good and the good of others – no matter what we think. His Word teaches us ways to handle things that happen in our everyday lives. We can also learn how to develop healthy habits, make smart decisions, and learn from our mistakes.

3. Forgiving others: Sometimes people we trust disappoint us, hurt us, and betray our trust. Talking about it with that person or a responsible adult will help us figure out if the person’s actions were on purpose or accidental. We need to remember that no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. When we feel that we can no longer trust a person, we may be angry and want to look for ways to get revenge. That should never be the answer. We need to deal with our feelings and find a way to offer forgiveness. It is important to understand that forgiveness doesn’t mean that we have to trust that person again. It may take time to build that trust again, or it may be that we just can’t trust that person anymore and choose not to be around them.

4. We’ve been Forgiven ... The Bible gives us one of the best examples of forgiveness – it is the Parable of the Prodigal Son. You can read it in Luke 15:11-32. Forgiving others can be one of the hardest things we will ever have to do, but the result is feeling free and at peace.

Christians are supposed to forgive others as we’ve been forgiven, because we understand that it is God’s role to judge others, not ours. We are all sinners, but through our faith and Christ’s death, our sins have been forgiven.

5. What does God’s Word tell us? When we go to God in prayer and read our Bible we can find words that instruct us on trust and forgiveness. Check out these verses: TRUST - Psalm 37:3-6, Psalm 119:66, 138, Proverbs 11:13, Romans 15:13, 1 Timothy 1:15, and FORGIVENESS - Ephesians 4:32, Mark 11:25-26, Colossians 3:13, Luke 6:36-38, Acts 13:38.

Kidz Thought for the Week: “There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.” from Bryant H. McGill

Keeping you in my prayers. 'til next week ... ask God to help you open your heart to trust and forgive others.

God's Peace, Donna