A Care Bear Object Lesson

I never cease to be amazed at what God will use to remind me of what I need to know. The last thing I expected was to get up this morning to receive a lesson in humility by a three foot Care Bear. Actually, my four year old daughter dressed up in her "Harmony Bear" costume was really just being used as an object lesson and the Holy Spirit, of course, was the teacher.

As I was running around the house trying to get my kids out the door on time for school, my "Harmony Bear", all ready for her preschool Harvest costume party, decided to have a minor melt-down. From across the house I could hear her scream and wail. That usually meas that another child is somehow involved. Looking at my oldest son I asked, "How can anyone dressed as Harmony Bear sound like THAT? Isn't Harmony Bear supposed to be a peacemaker? Maybe ALL of us need to put on Care Bear costumes and see if it gets us more peace around here!" to which my son was quick to reply, "It won't help, Mom..."

It wasn't until we were driving to school a little while later that the Holy Spirit faithfully reminded me of what we had studied in Bible study on Tuesday. Of course putting on a Harmony Bear costume won't transform us into peacemakers, but God's Word tells us that there IS something that we are to clothe ourselves with in order to better love our sisters and brothers in Christ. Colossians 3:12 says that we are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. I was reminded of the challenge given to us in Bible study not to leave the bedroom each morning without being clothed in humility. Perhaps if I can first learn to consistently apply that practice to my own life I can then help my children apply it to theirs. And hopefully that will mean fewer unexpected early-morning object lessons using purple bears. It sounds like a "beary" good plan to me.