Circle Time

Years ago, when I was a Daisy Girl Scout leader, one of the girls' favorite activities was a game called "Spiderweb". The girls named it themselves. Twenty two kindergarten girls sat in a big circle with one of them holding a ball of yarn. At my "go", she would toss the ball while still holding the end of the yarn. Each girl who caught it did the same until everyone had a piece of yarn and the whole mess looked like a spiderweb. They giggled like crazy, and when the game was over, we'd do it all over again.

Most of the time everyone was included, but now and then I'd notice someone getting left out. I let it happen once to use it as a lesson. When the game was done, I'd ask them to describe the spiderweb. "It's crooked", "It doesn't look like a spiderweb anymore", etc... That's because someone was left out of the circle! It can't be complete without everyone being a part of it, I'd remind them. I'd ask them how they'd feel if someone didn't throw the yarn to them. "Sad", "mad", "I'd cry", they'd answer.

Circle breakers. Kids aren't the only ones guilty of that. There are adults who don't want to toss the yarn to "her" either. What would people think? I believe to someone else, we are also a "her". Don't we want someone to toss it to us? Someone has to toss the yarn at some point. You don't have to like them, enjoy their company, or invite them to go shopping with you. But what if you tried? That just might make a difference to "her". Circles form. Unity happens. God smiles.

Don't hold on to your piece of the yarn. Close your eyes and give it a good throw. Open your eyes and be ready for whatever challenge is in front of you. We can learn a lot from 5 year olds, we just should remember not to act like them.

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Romans 12:3