Leave your sacrifice there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
Matthew 5:24

I can’t count how many times that I have said or done something stupid that hurt someone else. It is the worst feeling in the world. I will lose sleep, won’t eat, and feel physically ill from guilt. It even affects my prayer life and relationship with Christ. The Bible talks about what to do when we have done wrong to our brother. It says we need to reconcile and make things right with that person first. If you read in Matthew 5:23, the verse right before our memory verse, it goes along with what we will be learning about this week:

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you. Leave your sacrifice there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
Matthew 5:23-24

Our kids are watching every move that we make. Is there someone that we need to forgive or apologize to? How cool would it be to show our kids what it means to ask for forgiveness? Or to forgive someone that has hurt us deeply. If we would just let go of our pride and stop retaliating, what an example.

See you Sunday.

Each week we have a “Shout It Out” phrase that we send the kids off with. We do this right before they start their week. This week our phrase is, “I can face anything when I pray.” This is a bold statement that I’ve been struggling with this week. Worry is something that I have always struggled with, and it is like second nature for me to worry about everything. In my world, it sometimes seems like worry is the equivalent to breathing. So, when I read this “Shout It Out” phrase, I felt very guilty for not approaching my worries and fears with this confidence. I can face anything when I pray? Really? It sounds so simple, but does the Bible make it that simple? Check out our memory verse for this week from Philippians 4:6. It says,

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

God gives us the freedom to not worry, yet we insist on making ourselves miserable when there is, at times, absolutely nothing we can do. This will be a great lesson for our kids this week, and for us adults as well. Make sure you ask your kids about what they’ve learned this Sunday.