I Can Have Peace When I’m Disliked

Host Welcome to the Lab. We have had a great month talking about how to have peace, even when we feel different emotions.

Co-Host When did we learn how to have peace when we poop?

Host I never said poop.

Co-Host You said we learned to have peace when we feel different emojis.

Host Not emojis, emotions. You know, feelings.

Co-Host That makes more sense because I don’t know if peaceful pooping is possible.

Host That is more information than I ever want to know. Today we’re going to wrap up our final emotion. To get started, we’re going to ask you a series of This or That questions to see which the majority of you prefer. If you prefer number one, hold up one arm. If you prefer number two, hold up two arms.

• Vanilla Ice Cream or Chocolate Ice Cream
• Football or Basketball
• Ocean or Pool
• Captain America or Batman
• Frozen or Encanto
• Cats or Dogs
• Pancakes or Waffles
• Shoes or Barefoot
• Taco or Hamburger
• Fries or Chips
• Bath or Shower
• Milk or Juice

Host We were split down the middle on some of those. I’m glad I wasn’t up there on that list.

Co-Host Today we will discover how to respond, even if someone were to dislike us.

Host That sounds helpful for all of us. Stand to your feet and tell someone nearby whether you prefer Netflix or YouTube. Let’s check up on our friends in the lab

Co-Host That Hans Von Striker is not a nice guy.

Host Do you think that Herman should follow Rusty’s advice? Have you ever had someone tell others that they don’t like you? How did that make you feel?

Co-Host I don’t like being rejected. It feels terrible.

Host Just because someone rejects or doesn’t like you doesn’t mean that your life is over. We’ll see some examples of this as I share the following facts. See if you can guess who I’m talking about.

• He was cut from his high school varsity basketball team because he didn’t have enough skill. (Michael Jordan)
• He was demoted from captain to private as a soldier and lost 7 elections. (Abraham Lincoln)
• He was fired from his newspaper job because his boss told him that he didn’t have any good ideas. (Walt Disney)
• He was told by a teacher that he would never amount to anything. (Albert Einstein)
• He thought about burning his first book after it was rejected 27 times. (Dr. Seuss)

Co-Host That’s a lot of people who were disliked but kept going.

Host We can too, especially because have help. God brings us peace so that we can keep doing what we’re supposed to do, even if someone doesn’t like us for doing it.

Co-Host That’s what we’ll discover in our Big Point. I need a volunteer to help us reveal it.

Host You will help us count down from three and then read the Big Point.

Host Let’s all say it together, I Can Have Peace When I’m Disliked!

Co-Host Even if someone tells you they don’t like you…

Host Or they tell you that they don’t like what you do to serve God.

Co-Host You can choose a calm and peaceful attitude. You don’t have to get back at them or lob insults at them.

Host Instead, just keep doing what God has asked you to do, and trust God to take care of the situation.

Co-Host Peace is better than revenge.

Host That’s good. We should share that with Rusty.

Host Do you think Herman’s decision will cost him the election?

Co-Host Rusty thinks so, but Herman would rather have peace than win at any cost. He really gets our Big Point. Let’s say it again,

Co-Host I Can Have Peace When I’m Disliked!

Host Even when people go out of their way to dislike us, we can choose peace. Let’s see what the Bible says in today’s Big Verse.

Co-Host After we count down from three, we need you to read our Big Verse.

Co-Host Romans 12:18 (NIrV) says, “If possible, live in peace with everyone.”

Host We’re not always going to agree with everyone in our family, our friends, or at school; and they’re not always going to agree with us. But we can choose to cooperate with others and try to make peace.

Co-Host It’s not always easy, but it’s something that God can help us do. We’re going to try a cooperative game with two teams of kids.

Host We’ve given each team a hula hoop. Here’s how this activity works. When I say, “Go,” you have to lower your hula hoop from chest level to the ground. Sounds easy, right?

Co-Host Here’s the challenge. You can only use your two pointer fingers to hold the hula hoop. Everyone on the team has to keep their two fingers on the hoop the whole time. One last thing. You can’t talk at all. Let’s see how you do.

Host That’s challenging. Let’s try that again. This time your team can talk.

Co-Host You really had to work together. We may not always get along, but we can choose to peacefully cooperate. We don’t have to disrupt or cause chaos just because someone else makes poor choices.

Host Not everyone will choose peace. But that doesn’t have to affect our choice. We can act in a calm and peaceful way because God gives us the power to choose peace. It’s also best to communicate true things about God in peace. Let’s stand and take a moment to worship the God who gives us peace.

Play optional soft instrumental music.

When someone dislikes you for doing good, it’s hard to choose peace. Instead, you just go on instinct and do what feels natural. You often want to strike back at that person with your words or actions. However, there’s a way to make God’s way your natural way of responding. If you plant God’s word in your heart, then that’s what comes out of you when you’re pushed to your limit. Let’s do that now. Let’s use today’s Big Verse to pray. This is called meditating on God’s Word. It’s a great way to get His truth in you. Let’s repeat this prayer a couple of times: “Jesus, please help me to live in peace with everyone, no matter what others do.” (Repeat 2x) Keep repeating that throughout the week, especially when someone treats you badly. It will help you make the wise choice.

Co-Host The neighborhood will be a lot better off with Herman in charge.

Host He can feel good knowing that he chose peace instead of revenge. It was the same choice that Paul and Silas made. Remember the Big Point,

Host I Can Have Peace When I’m Disliked!

Co-Host It was so cool that Paul and Silas praised God in the middle of jail and that when they had the chance to escape, they chose to stay and share Jesus with the guard.

Host You can tell your family that story when you do this week’s Big Do.

Host Play “Monkey in the Middle,” and when it’s your turn in the middle, remember that you can choose peace in the middle of any situation.

Co-Host Why don’t we play that game now, so everyone will be ready to play when they get home. You can play with just a few people, but let’s take it to the extreme by using the entire room. We’re going to toss beach balls from section to section in the room. Kids on the outside sections, try to keep them out of middle. If you’re in the middle, your job is to try to catch the beach balls. Let’s see who has more at the end of 60 seconds.

Host Ready? Go!

Host Great job. Whenever you’re in the middle of a difficult situation, don’t forget that God is with you. That’s how you can choose peace. Let’s turn and connect with our small groups and talk about what we’ve learned from the Bible.

• Has anyone ever disliked you, said mean things about you for no reason, or been mean because you did something good? What happened?
• Why were Paul and Silas placed in jail? For helping the slave girl. How did they respond with peace? Worshipped God What did Paul and Silas do when the jail doors opened? They told the jailer about Jesus.
• How could you respond the next time someone dislikes you?
• What did Herman tell us to do with our families in the Big Do? Play Monkey in the Middle

• Our Big Point says I Can Have Peace When I’m _______!

  • Loved
  • Disliked

• Why was Paul and Silas placed in jail?

  • Robbing a bank
  • Helping someone

• What did Paul and Silas do in jail?

  • Called the guards names
  • Praised God

• Who challenged Herman in the election?

  • Rusty
  • Hans Von Striker

• What did Paul and Silas do when the jail doors opened?

  • Stayed Put
  • Escaped

• Romans 12:18 (NIrV), “If possible, live in peace with _______.”

  • Everyone
  • Some People

• Choosing to live at peace is always easy.

  • True
  • False

• How can you choose peace in the middle of a bad situation?

• When you follow Jesus, He will make everyone like you all the time.

  • True
  • False

• What challenge did Herman give us as this week’s Big Do?

  • Play Monkey in the Middle