Building Blocks
BUILDING BLOCKS
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15.
Lisa and her friend Shawna sat at the table talking. Little Tucker sat on the floor nearby, playing with his new building blocks. “Did you see Rachel today?” asked Shawna. “She got her hair all chopped off, and it looks just awful!”
“Did you know that Mona dyes her hair?” asked Lisa.
“No!” Shawna gasped. “Well, she’s so fat, she may as well do something to try to improve herself.”
Mom began to speak, but just then a horn sounded outside. “There’s my mom,” said Shawna. “Bye, everybody.” As she headed for the door, her long coat brushed against the tall block building Tucker had just finished, knocking it over. Tucker began to cry.
Mom put her arm around Tucker. “It was an accident. Why don’t you build it back up again? It will make you feel better.” As Tucker got busy, Mom looked at Lisa and added, “Shawna’s not the only one who knocked down in a moment what it took a long time to build.”
“I didn’t touch Tucker’s blocks,” said Lisa.
“No,” said Mom, “but you helped Shawna tear apart your friends. Isn’t that more serious than knocking down a few blocks?”
Lisa stared down at the table. “I guess so.”
“People are like Tucker’s building,” said Mom. “They need to be built up with kind words, not torn down by criticism. And you’ll feel a lot better about yourself when you build people up.”
“But how do I do that?” Lisa asked.
“Whenever you hear a criticism of another person, try to replace it with a compliment,” suggested Mom. “Why not begin by calling Shawna and telling her something nice about each person you knocked down?”
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you compliment or criticize? The Bible says to speak evil of no one. Don’t tear down—build up instead!
TO MEMORIZE:
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
Ephesians 4:31
DON’T CRITICIZE.
From the book
