Good morning, girls and boys. Or maybe I should ask if it is a good morning. Sometimes we have good days and sometimes we don’t, no matter what. I brought with me a book to share this morning that’s kind of about that. It might be one you know.
It’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst. I’m not going to read the whole thing because it’s long. But you can tell what it’s like from the first page:
I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there’s gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. He says he might move to…? (Let kids respond.)
Raise your hand if you’ve had a day like that, where you think you might want to move to Australia.
What if we really try har to follow all the rules? Is that a way to skip bad days?
What if we really put all our energy into loving each other and loving God? What if we’re the best Christian we can be? Is that a way to skip bad days?
No, even if we follow all the rules, even if we try really hard to be good, even if we love God with all our might, if we’re the best Christian we can be, we still will have bad days. We’re humans and we live with humans so things won’t always go our way. And somedays we notice this more than others. So what can we do?
We can remember that we are loved and treasured by God and by our family and church family and friends. We can remember this day won’t last forever. We can get out our frustration and talk with God and other people. Who does Alexander tell? (Let kids respond.) Yes, he tells his mom. She says some days are like that, even in Australia.
Let’s pray: Dear God, when we have a bad day, help us talk with people we love, and get our frustration out. And when others around us are having a bad day, help us be patient and understanding. Help us love each other the way you love us. We love you, God. Amen.