Kids… And Problems

SAT., AUG. 24, 1996, 7:10 AM
FARM, STUDY

Tomorrow you shall “embark” on an “adventure” you haven’t had for several, even many, years. You shall be carrying out a plan for getting 7th and 8th grade kids ready for confirmation as “volunteer” members of your church and of the Church Universal. Each who has been baptized as a baby is a member, by actions of parents and a congregation, but at this early teen age the action for further membership must come from the young person.

You haven’t been in a situation with kids of this age, a teaching/learning opportunity, for awhile, so you’re a bit apprehensive. You know you have to have some organization, and you have to have some alternatives, if “Plan A” doesn’t fly. You don’t expect any real trouble, but you’re not at all sure how these kids will respond to you.

The assigned focus is problems that they see as important, in their own daily lives, in this country, and in the larger world. Naturally I approve of the expansion of this in the positive direction – what are the “good things” about life in these expanding “settings”. And then come the complementary questions… what do they want Me, as the Triune God, to do about these problems… and in what ways am I responsible for the “good things”? It would be well for you to accept some guidance from Me, the Holy Spirit, as you ready yourself for this challenge.

Let’s assume one of the identified problems is violence in relations among kids… violence that can injure or even kill. You’ll want to get some reactions as to why it is a problem, and, if it is, can it be solved or must we just live with some? Then, as God do I want non-violence all the time, or have I been responsible for some violence? How do I help in settling disputes? Is it always good to maintain peace, no matter what “the price”?

The counter to this is the observation that most interactions among people are peaceful and non-violent. Do I get some credit for such situations? Shouldn’t I? As Jesus I used proclamations about Myself to stir up violence against Me… and then I accepted the consequence, which was a painful, degrading death. But death could not hold Me, and a result of this violent act is eternal, ever-lasting life, in the spirit.

So I say that violence can last only so long. Then the balance goes to peace and, even, happy relationships. Then I’ll have to say that peace and tranquility can only last so long, with the balance shifting to strife and violence. Why do I seem to like such “seasonal changes”? Because this is a way for spirit to grow… and that’s what I want to see happen.

Naturally, as a good teacher/leader, you’ll try to get everyone to talk and not let a few dominate. You’ll have to initially accept their limited perceptions of the country and the world, but you also have opportunities for widening these perceptions. It will be interesting to see which kids are problem-oriented and which less-so. And you’ll certainly want to explore how they perceive Me and My possible actions in relation to present problems.

When you have a chance to offer a perception or so be sure and emphasize My desire for continual balancing. This could lead to the critical balancing of life and death, for humans. Emphasize, even for these youngsters, that I don’t see death as a problem to solve, but, rather, a necessity for continuing life.