13 Jan, 2011

Stick to it

Stuck Tongue

You've seen this scene before -- every Christmas.

An 8-year-old Oklahoma boy got his tongue stuck on a frozen stop sign pole after his brother dared him to lick it.

"The first thing that come to my mind was the movie 'A Christmas Story,'" responding Woodward firefighter Shane Pringry said, according to News Channel 4 in Oklahoma City.  Flick gets his tongue stuck to a frozen pole in this famous scene from "A Christmas Story," which played out in real life today in Oklahoma.
The boy was standing on his tiptoes when rescue crews arrived on the scene, near Woodward Middle School. He was trying to wiggle his tongue free.

"He had a large portion of his tongue frozen to the pole," Pringry said.  Firefighters poured water over his tongue to help free the boy. Apparently, the boy had risen to the challenge from his older brother while they were waiting for the school bus.  "I just heard a kid screaming, but I just figured they were kids goofing off," neighbor Joellen Powell said. "It woke me up.”

Story and picture courtesy of AOL.com

God’s Story
Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

What does today’s Scripture Story teach us about friendship and family?
Having family ties doesn’t automatically mean that we’re looking out in the best interest of our siblings.  My sister Vicki and I fought an awful lot growing up.  I used to tell her that she was adopted and her real mom was a witch.  We shared a room (and bed) for the longest time, so that may have had something to do with my attitude.  We used to mark off ‘sides’ to the bedroom – I always got the side with the door so she was stuck in the room.  If I had thought about it, I would have probably dared her to stick her tongue to metal in the winter.  When we’re young, we’re usually not very nice or loving to our brothers or sisters.

How can we connect today’s God’s Story scripture to our lives?
Fortunately, now I consider my sister once of my best friends.  We love spending time together (even though I’m in New York and she lives in Georgia).  Through visits, email and phone calls we keep in touch.  Even though I know she loves me and would do anything for me, Jesus is my ultimate Best Friend and is even closer to me than my sister. 

How can we connect today’s story, God’s Story scripture, and our story to others?
Being a witness to friends can be easier than being a witness to our family.  They see us all the time and know our weaknesses.  We can put on a mask or fake it with our friends and not let them get too close to us, but our siblings see the real us.

This week, if you have siblings, pray for them.  If they have a relationship with the Lord, encourage them.  Let them know that you’re lifting them up to the Father.  Build your relationship by going to church together, serving the Lord together, and praying for each other.

If your brothers and sisters don’t know Jesus as their Savior, pray that God will use you.  Don’t try to be perfect, but acknowledge that God is helping you on your spiritual journey.  Ask your siblings for forgiveness when you fail so they can see that you are different with Jesus in your life.

And if you’re an only child, remember ~ you have lots Christian brothers and sisters.  But be careful; they may just dare you to lick a metal pole, cause that’s what brother and sisters do.

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