Read: Philippians 2:1-4; Colossians 3:12

“Boo!” Blake shouted from behind the couch as his younger sister walked past. Gabby screamed and jumped in surprise, and Blake laughed as he climbed out. “Gotcha!”

“Mom!” Gabby wailed. “Blake’s scaring me again!”

Mom came into the living room. “Blake, we’ve talked about this before. You know it scares Gabby when you jump out at her like that. You need to stop it.”

“Yeah,” said Gabby. “And stop hitting me with your pillow too.”

“Oh, come on. I just wanted to have a pillow fight! Lighten up, Gabby.”

“Blake,” said Mom, “are you being kind to your sister?”

“Well, I’m not trying to be mean. I just want to have fun.” As Blake spoke, their black cat raced past them, followed by their big golden dog.

“Oscar, leave Morris alone!” yelled Blake. He chased the golden retriever around the coffee table. Oscar pranced around and panted happily as he trapped the hissing cat in the corner.

“Oscar looks like he’s laughing,” said Gabby.

Mom nodded. “I’d say he’s having a lot of fun.”

“Oscar, come!” At Blake’s command, the dog finally turned away from the cat. “No chasing Morris.” Blake glared at the dog sternly as Oscar trotted to him. “Don’t do that again!”

Mom smirked. “But Oscar was only having fun. He didn’t do it to be mean.”

“Well, it wasn’t fun for Morris, and—” Blake stopped. He was quiet for a moment, then sighed. “I see your point, Mom. What’s fun for one animal—or person—might not be any fun for the other.”

Mom nodded. “Oscar was having fun at Morris’s expense. That’s also how you’ve been having fun with Gabby. You’ve been doing things that were fun for you, but not fun for her—in fact, I think part of your fun came from seeing her get upset. That’s not how Jesus wants us to treat people. He tells us to show others love and kindness by considering how they feel and not just thinking of ourselves. That’s the kind of love He showed us when He sacrificed His life so we could be saved.”

Blake looked over at Gabby, who had picked up Morris and gone into the kitchen. “Come on, Oscar,” he said. “You and I both need to apologize.”

–Jody Hedlund

How about you? Are you sensitive to the feelings of others? Or do you like to have fun by teasing people who may not find it as fun as you do? As Christians, we need to put other people’s feelings before our own fun and enjoyment so they can see Jesus’s love in us. He loves us so much that He gave His own life to save us, and He’ll help you reflect His love in the way you treat others.

Today's Key Verse: Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: Consider how others feel