Devotion: Term 1, Week 6
Flexible people are happy people. They experience a lot less stress than the rigid types who insist on things always being done a certain way. One of the reasons inflexibility is so stressful is that we have to achieve our goals through thinking human beings who often have their own ideas, ideas different from ours. If you’re not the type who is receptive to new ways of doing things because you view them as a personal rejection of your own ideas, ask Jesus the Great Physician to perform some corrective surgery on you.
The Pharisees were the epitome of perfectionism and inflexibility. When they accused Jesus of not keeping the Sabbath, He said, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’ (Mark 2:27 NKJV). How flexible are you? Are you so specific at home that your family stays on edge for fear of violating one of your endless preferences? Must the towels always be folded in a certain way? If plans need to be changed, does it send you into a tailspin, or do you stop and consider that God may have a different plan?
Don’t try to justify your behaviour by hiding under the cloak of ‘excellence’. Yes, you would like to see things done in the best manner possible; however, seek to understand when your behaviour leaves the realm of being excellent and begins to border on being an inflexible perfectionist who not only creates stress for yourself, but for others as well. The word for today is – relax. Bend a little. Try going with the flow.
SoulFood: 1 Kings 10-11 Matt 17:1-13 Ps 40:9-17 Pro 6:6-8
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024
Try to be more flexible
It was a joy to launch our very first Faithlabs session on Monday 2 June! Led by Mr Lachlan Palmisano, this new group creates space for students to explore life’s big questions at the intersection of faith and science.
Jesus was rough on Pharisees: ‘Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness’ (Matthew 23:28 NLT). They put on a good front but were devoid of grace, mercy, and compassion. And Jesus called them on it! Because we live in an appearance-focused society, Jesus warns us about the dangers that come from dwelling on the outer life at the cost of developing the inner life. So, how do you keep that from happening?
It was fantastic to celebrate our students today as they received Character Strengths Awards at our Primary Assembly, recognising their growth and commitment to living out these values.
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