Getting Along With Others

Do you get along with others? Do you pick on others? Do you fight with others? Do you purposefully annoy others? I bet you are not that way. I bet you are very kind and considerate of other people’s feelings. I want to tell you a story of a little puppy that wasn’t so kind and considerate of others.

Puppies...I love puppies. They are so soft, cuddly, and cute. I bet you are smiling right now just thinking of one. This particular puppy lives in a family of one mother and six brothers and sisters. They were just adorable when they were born. Their little eyes were not open and their little voices squeaked.  They tried to walk on shaky legs. They slept most of the time. They would eat and go right to sleep again.

Soon they grew a little bit and were climbing all over their mother looking for food. They would bite and play, rolling all over the floor and growling at each other. The seven puppies played hard until they got tired and curled up to sleep, forming a large soft ball of fur. Then, mommy could also rest. Sighing, she would lay down next to them for a nap until they were hungry again.   

They lived on a farm with other animals. There were pigs, horses, cows, and cats. It seemed to the puppies that there were hundreds of cats. Dogs don’t naturally like cats. They normally like to chase them and eat them. Yuck! I wouldn’t want to eat a cat, would you? The fur would get stuck in your teeth!

The pups were told by their mother to stay away from the cats. The cats knew this and would antagonize them. That means they would tease them and get as close as they could and try to get the puppies to chase them. The puppies wanted to chase them so desperately! Sometimes one could not hold himself back and would take off after a cat. Being a little pup, he wouldn't get very far. One of the other, bigger cats would jump out at the pup and bat it away. The puppy would go crashing into a bale of hay or the side of the barn. Then, the whining puppy would go find his mommy, and she would lick away the tears and hug him tight.

As the puppies grew, they got stronger and faster. Once, one of the puppies almost caught one of the cats! This became a game, but they knew they would be in terrible trouble if they hurt one of the cats. The farm animals knew they needed to be just like a large family. Even though they were different, they all needed to get along with each other. The horses, pigs, cows, cats, and dogs knew they needed each other. Their owner would not put up with such shenanigans. So, for the most part, they got along. Each animal had a job, and they helped the other animals. The dogs helped the owner move the cows where they needed to go, and they alerted everyone by barking if there was danger. The cats killed the rats and mice so they would not eat the other animal’s food or get into the owners house. The horses let all the other animals know when a storm was coming because they sensed it first. They also would pull wagons or take the owner for a fast run over the meadow. The cows were milked for milk and cheese and gave their extra milk to the cats and puppies. The pigs...well...the pigs ate what all the other animals wouldn’t eat, getting fatter and fatter. They all got along and worked together because they loved the owner they worked for.

One of the puppies was named Spot. He got his name because he was all black except for a large white spot on his chest, right between his front legs. The white spot stood out against his dark black fur. Spot didn’t get along with others. He just didn’t get it. He was always being a pest. He was always bothering his siblings. He would walk by another puppy and would bump into him or her and knock them down. He would shove and bite to be first to eat. If one of the puppies was talking to their mommy, he would interrupt. One time, his mommy was talking to one of the horses, and he tapped and tapped and tapped on her side with his paw trying to get her attention. This annoyed her because he was interrupting her. He had to sleep by himself that night because he did that. This didn’t stop him, though. He was always trying to be annoying or interrupting. He would see some of his siblings playing, and he would push his way into the middle of the game, demanding it was his turn. Spot was bothersome. He just didn’t see that he needed to get along. Sometimes, when his siblings were playing a guessing game, he would hum loudly just to annoy them. His mommy would tell him to be kind, take his turn, wait, be nice, sit still, not pick on his brother, and many other things. I’m sure you can imagine what she would say.

The other puppies tried to avoid him because he was annoying. He kept trying to play with the others, but he was so rude and pushy  that they didn’t like him very well. He tried to play with the cats, but they would run and jump onto something high to get away. They didn’t play the chasing game with him because they didn’t like him. Spot tried to play with the calves, but they would butt their heads at him and hide behind their mommas.  He would sulk and walk away. He tried to play with a cute colt that was a few weeks old, but its mommy barred the way. All the adult animals had been watching him, and they didn’t want him to play with their children. He was basically all alone. The only one who let him near was the pig. After a while of jumping on the pigs head and biting its ear, the pig got angry. He told Spot to leave. Spot didn’t, so the pig tried to roll on top of him to squish him. Spot ran off, deciding to go sit by himself.

His mommy found him sitting all alone by the big oak tree. His mommy said, “Spot, why are you here by yourself? What is wrong?”

Spot replied, as a tear slid down his cheek, “No one likes me.”

Mommy said, “Why do you think they don’t like you?”

Spot said, “They will not play with me. When I come near, they scatter and hide from me. The pig just tried to squish me!”

“Do you think there might be a reason why they treat you this way?” asked Mommy.

Shaking his head he said, “No.”

Mommy asked, “Spot, remember all the times you have been in trouble? What were they for?”

Spot said, “Well… because… I don’t remember.”

Mommy said, “I think you do. They were for when you were being unkind. You were bothering your brother, interrupting, shoving, or punching, among other things. You have not gotten along with others, and look where it has gotten you.”

Spot put his head down on his front legs and started to cry in earnest. Sobbing, he said, “What can I do? What shall become of me?” Then out of anger, he said, “Maybe I’ll run away!”

Mommy said, “You could run away, but that will not help your problem. If you do not change your attitude and start to show love to others, you will never have any friends. Think about that. When you decide to change your attitude, come and tell me.” Mommy walked away to find all of her other pups.

Spot sat there thinking about what his mommy had said. He thought about how mean and inconsiderate he had been. He remembered the time when one of his brothers was asleep and he pulled his tail just to be mean. He remembered how many times he had been a pest and had been mean to others. Still crying, he decided to change his attitude. He really did love his mommy and brothers and sisters. Soon, the tears dried up. He made up his mind to do what was right. He wanted to be kind and get along with others.  

Getting up, he wiped his face with his paw and ran to find his mommy. His mommy had gathered all of her pups and warned them that Spot was coming. She told them not to run and to hear what he had to say. She knew in her heart that Spot was a kind pup, and he would change his attitude.

Running into the barn, Spot was surprised to find the whole family gathered. He slowed and walked up to the pack. He cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry I have been mean to everyone. Mommy, I’m sorry I have disobeyed you and interrupted you. Brothers and sisters, I am so sorry I have not been a nice brother to you. I promise I will change starting now. Please forgive me and give me a chance.”

There was silence and no one moved. Then all of a sudden, he was attacked! They all ran at him and started licking and hugging him. There were tears and laughter. Mommy joined the pack, her pack, of kind loving pups.

Spot turned into a very kind pup. He grew to be the most kind and strongest dog of the pack. Every other dog looked up to him and knew he would protect and love them always.

Girls and Boys, I’m sure your parents want you to be what Spot grew up to be. No, not a dog, silly, but a kind and strong person. Jesus wants you to be kind and to get along well with others. The Bible says, And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32. It is so cool that all the pups forgave Spot for being mean. Spot had changed his heart. He showed love to others. He stopped doing all the hurtful things he had done. How do you treat others? Are you kind? Do you get along? Are you kind to your parents and other adults? How about your siblings (brothers or sisters)? Do you get along with others even if they are different than you? Remember how all the animals got along. They worked together, even though they were different. Think about these things and make sure you get along with others. I am sure you will do your best and I will be proud of you!  

Memorize: Proverbs: 18:24a A man who has friends must himself be friendly.

Verses in NKJ unless otherwise stated. 

Kindness

We love it when someone is kind to us. Kindness is when someone helps us, says something nice, or gives us something special. When you give your brother the very last piece of chewy, rich chocolate cake, then you are showing kindness. I love chocolate, don’t you? Being kind is sometimes a hard thing to do. You would rather have that last piece of chocolate cake all to yourself. But putting your brother ahead of yourself is being loving and kind. Let me show you a look at kindness in a story.

There once was family of elephants who ran free in Africa. They had a nice clan or group of elephants. They would stay together and move together when they needed more food or water. The larger clan consisted of family groups. These groups consisted mostly of females. Once the males are grown they clump together and remain in the clan. 

One day, a little girl elephant was born into one of the families. Oh, she was so cute. She had big ears, big fat legs and feet, and a long, long, long, nose or truck. Oh my, it was long! Momma elephant hardly noticed and didn’t worry about how long it was. However every other elephant that came to visit the cute new baby saw how long it was. They would say things like, “Oh, so cute.” Then the baby would stretch and her trunk would unroll and they would say, “My goodness she has a long trunk.” 

It never bothered momma elephant because she loved her baby girl so much. She thought she was perfect. Someone asked her what she was going to name her. So, momma elephant thought and thought. She decided on Lily. Lily grew bigger and bigger every day. Most of the elephants hoped Lily would grow into her trunk size, but her trunk kept growing along with her. This created a problem. For when she walked, she tripped on it! Running was a mistake for she would eventually trip and tumble. If someone wasn’t watching they could end up in the tumble too! 

One day she was playing tag with her friends. Well, it happened. At full run, just as she was going to touch a friend, she tripped! She couldn’t catch herself and fell and started rolling toward her friend. Soon they were both tumbling down hill and ended up with a splash in the water. Both started to cry. Lily’s friend cried because she was all wet and scared, Lily cried because she had created the splash. 

Then a terrible thing happened. All the other elephants came running to see what happened and slipped into the water too! They were all angry! They decided that the children could not play with Lily anymore. After she was left alone with just her momma, Lily finally got out of the water, crying the whole time. Momma took Lily home. Lily didn’t have anyone to play with so her days were full of watching and hearing the other young elephants play. 

Momma had an idea. She took Lily’s trunk and wrapped it around a thick stick then put the stick across Lily’s shoulders. Next she took pretty wild flowers and attached them to the stick. It looked like a cute, short shawl on her shoulders. Momma took Lily to the group of other elephants and showed them what they had made to keep Lily’s trunk out of the way. There were “oohs and aahs. One of the girl elephants said she thought it was pretty and could she have one too? Soon everyone was laughing and hugging Lilly and her momma. They all became great friends.

So every day after her breakfast, bath, and a nice long drink of cool water, Momma would tie Lily’s trunk up. You see Lily couldn’t use her trunk to feed herself or take a drink when her trunk was tied up. Elephants use their trunks as a hose to eat, drink, and take a bath. When Lily’s trunk was tied up she looked so cute and special. She could walk and even run without tripping. Every day she would go find her friends and run and play like all the others. 

Days went well until there was a mouse that came visiting. Well, elephants are afraid of small little mice. We don’t know why, since mice are so small next to an elephant! Every time they saw the mouse there was chaos. All the elephants would start to run and bump into trees or each other until a stampede would start. The mouse would just straighten up on its haunches and watch the commotion and laugh. The elephants would finally come to a stop. After the dust would settle, they would stand back and watch the mouse gather food and then run into its burrow in the ground. 

This went on for a long time. Until one day when the mouse was carrying back some food to it burrow, it was laughing so hard it wasn’t watching where it was going. It slipped on a leaf and slid down a hill and right in to a snakes den. As you are probably aware, snakes eat mice! This snake was gone sunning itself on a rock and didn’t know dinner had just arrived. It was good for the mouse the snake was gone but it was also bad because the mouse couldn’t get out! “HELP!” It cried, “HELP!” The elephants were too far away to hear and they were not about to help someone who had been terrorizing them if they had. 

The elephants soon came back to the place where the mouse had fallen into the hole. Lilly was near and heard a faint “help!” She went over to the hole knowing it was for Mr. Snake so she stayed back a little and listened. Sure enough she heard it again, “help.” 

So she looked down but couldn’t see anything. She said, “Mr. Snake are you all right?”

She heard, “It’s not the snake it’s me the mouse.” Lily jumped back! The mouse! She wondered what the mouse was up to. 

“What do you want?” asked Lily. 

“I have fallen and can’t get out and I know the snake will come and have me for dinner! Please help me get out!” said the mouse. 

Lily said, “How do I know you are not tricking me and will scare me and cause us all to run again?” 

The mouse replied, “I won’t hurt you. I’ve been mean, and I am sorry I scared you and made you run. Please help me!” 

Lily sat there thinking and trying to decide what she should do. Then she remembered when everyone had teased her and made her feel bad. She felt hurt and didn’t want to do that to others. She wanted to be kind to others even if it was uncomfortable. Lily took a step closer, then another, until she was right over the hole. “How shall I help you? I can’t even see you.” she said. 

“Put your trunk down the hole and I’ll be able to climb it up out of the hole.” said the mouse. 

Lily jumped back as a chill ran down her back. She didn’t want that mouse climbing on her! She was afraid! It made her creep out! What was she to do? Then she said, “I’ll have to go ask Momma to help me untie my trunk.” 

“Hurry back!” yelled up the mouse. 

Lilly ran over to her momma and explained the problem. After much debate her momma untied her trunk and went with her. They went up to the hole and Momma said to wait, let her try first. Shaking with fright, she slowly lowered her trunk into the hole. All the way until her trunk was as far in as it could go. There was a muffled, “I’m farther down” from the mouse.

Lily’s momma pulled her trunk out and shook it off then said, “It is too deep, we will never be able to get the mouse out.”

Lily said, “Let me try Momma mine is longer than yours.” “Honey, are you sure you want to do this? Remember what the mouse did to us.” said Momma.

Lilly bravely nodded her head and stuck her trunk into the hole. Down and down it went almost to the length of it. Soon it felt something lightly touching it. Yuck! She thought. Trying not to shudder, she loudly said, “Climb up".Slowly the mouse climbed up, slipped a few times, but made it to the top. 

It stopped before coming out of the hole and said, “I’m coming out, don’t be afraid, I’ll not run at you. I promise!” 

All the elephants that had gathered took a giant step back. Some even walked quickly away looking over their shoulder. Soon the mouse climbed out and then off Lily’s trunk. Lily pulled her long trunk out of the hole. 

The mouse said, “Thank you for saving my life. I promise I will never scare you all again! I will move if you would like.”

Lily said, “Momma does the mouse have to move? It is kind of cute and it didn’t hurt me or anything.”

The oldest of the elephants, which we call the matriarch, stepped forward. She had been closely watching the whole thing unfold. She said, “Little mouse have you learned your lesson? Are you going to scare us? Will you let us know when you need to come out of your burrow, so we can go a safe distance away?”

The little mouse said, “Yes, I am sorry. I’ll make some sort of signal when I need to leave my burrow. Will you also tell me when the snake is on the prowl?”

The matriarch said they would do that and the little mouse could stay. Most of the elephants were happy for the little mouse. One of Lily’s friends came up to her and said, “Lily, you were so brave and I think your trunk is the coolest thing!”

Lily and her momma smiled. Lilly didn’t feel she had to tie up her trunk anymore unless she was going for a long walk or running. She felt accepted even though her trunk was long. 

Lily learned to be kind to others even if it is uncomfortable. She was kind to the little mouse. She was also shown kindness from her friends. We need to show kindness to others every day. Think of ways you can show kindness to your parents or siblings today. Help your mom clean up the kitchen after supper. Clean up your room without being told to do it. Help your dad clean out the garage. Share your toys with your sister or brother. If it is your job, feed and water your dog without being told. Give that last piece of sweet, rich, chocolate cake to your brother. Think of something else that shows kindness. Ask the new kid in the class to sit next to you. You are a smart child, I’m sure you can think of ways to be kind to others. The Lord Jesus wants us to be kind to others. The Bible says, And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32.

Wasn’t it nice that the elephants forgave the little mouse? Lily also forgave the elephants for the mean things they did to her. They did what Jesus wants us to do; forgive and be kind. Lily and the elephants were kind to the mouse and the mouse was kind back to them. 

Memorize as much as you can of Eph. 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. 

 Verses in NKJ unless otherwise stated.