"The Whisper Test" story was originally published in Guideposts magazine. Copyright by Guideposts Associates, Inc. Carmel, New York 10512. Reprinted with permission from the Reader's Digest.
Lesson 1: Think Right, Do Right, Feel Right
Do you know what determines the kind of person you will be?
It is not your looks, or how smart you are, or how much money you have. It is what you think and believe.
What you think determines what you do and what you feel. The Bible says, "As he (a person) thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23:7)
When we think right thoughts, we do right things, and we have right feelings. But when we think wrong thoughts, we do wrong things and have wrong or unpleasant feelings.
Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve? God had told them that they must not eat of the tree of knowledge. God warned them that if they disobeyed Him, they would surely die. For a time, Adam and Eve obeyed God and they were very happy. Every day God came down and walked and talked with them.
But one day Satan came in the form of a serpent. Satan told Eve that if she and her husband ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge, they would be as gods. Of course, this was a lie.
Eve began to think about this. She had to choose whether to believe Satan or believe God.
What did Eve do? She chose to believe Satan's lie. In believing Satan, Eve accepted a wrong thought. That wrong thought caused her to do a wrong thing- she disobeyed God. Adam also disobeyed God.
Disobeying God was wrong and this caused Adam and Eve to have feelings of fear, guilt and shame. When God came down that evening to walk and talk with them, Adam and Eve tried to hide from God. They were ashamed and afraid because they had disobeyed God.
Why did Adam and Eve make such a terrible mistake? First, they accepted a wrong thought. They believed Satan's lie instead of believing God.
Second, Adam and Eve did a wrong thing. They disobeyed God. They ate the fruit of the forbidden tree.
Third, Adam and Eve had wrong or unpleasant feelings. They had feelings of fear, guilt and shame. The wrong thought they accepted from Satan led to a wrong action, and the wrong action led to wrong feelings.
Where do wrong thoughts come from?
Wrong thoughts come from Satan. The wrong thought that came from Satan caused Adam and Eve to disobey God.
Satan puts wrong thoughts into the minds of people to keep them from believing on the Lord Jesus and being saved. The Bible says, "the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of them which believe not." (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Wrong thoughts lead to wrong actions
and wrong feelings.
The Bible says that all unsaved people are in Satan's kingdom of darkness and under his power. Satan uses these unsaved people to put wrong thoughts into the minds of other people. The Bible says that the things of this world—movies, television, business, and other things—are under Satan's control and are part of his "world-system."
Most people do not realize that Satan is in control of these things because he is hidden behind the scenes. We cannot see him, but Satan is the real ruler of the "world system." The Bible calls him "the god of this world." This means that he is in charge of the "world-system."
Satan uses his world-system to put wrong thoughts into our minds. The world says that the things that make a person worth something are good looks, being smart, and having a lot of money. The world says that if you don't have these things, you are not worth much.
Am I loved and respected?
We all want to be loved and respected. The world tries to make us think that we have to be good looking, smart, and rich to be worth something, but what does God tell us?
In His Word, God tells us that He loves and respects every person. Even though there are billions of people in the world, God knows and loves each one of us. Each of us is precious to God.
The world may not think highly of a person because he or she is not good looking or smart or rich, but God does not think like this. The world may think that you are not very important because you are just a child, but God does not think like this. The Bible says, "There is no respect of persons with God." (Romans 2:11)
This means that God never values a person for the way he looks, or how smart he is, or how much money he has. God loves and respects a poor person as much as He does a rich person. He loves and respects a child as much as He loves and respects a grown-up.
A little girl was born with a birth defect which caused her to look different from other children. When she went to school, her classmates hurt her by the unkind things they said. But seven simple words from her second-grade teacher changed this little girl's life forever. Here is her story:
I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started school my classmates made it clear to me how I must look to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth and garbled speech.
When schoolmates would ask, "What happened to your lip?" I'd tell them I'd fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me. Or even like me. Then I entered Mrs. Leonard's second-grade class.
Mrs. Leonard was round and pretty and fragrant, with shining brown hair and warm, dark, smiling eyes. Everyone adored her. But no one came to love her more than I did. And for a special reason.
The time came for the annual hearing tests given at our school. I could barely hear out of one ear and was not about to reveal something else that would single me out as different. So I cheated.
The "whisper test" required each child to go to the classroom door, turn sideways, close one ear with a finger, while the teacher whispered something from her desk, which the child repeated. Then the same for the other ear. Nobody checked how tightly the untested ear was covered, so I merely pretended to block mine.
As usual, I was last. But all through the testing I wondered what Mrs. Leonard might say to me. I knew from previous years that the teacher whispered things like "The sky is blue" or "Do you have new shoes?"
My time came. I turned my bad ear toward her, plugging up the other just enough to be able to hear. I waited, and then came the words that God had surely put into her mouth, seven words that changed my life forever.
Mrs. Leonard, the teacher I adored, said softly, "I wish you were my little girl."
This little girl's life was changed because of seven words which her teacher spoke to her. Those words — "I wish you were my little girl" — showed her that her teacher loved and respected her and considered her a precious little girl.
In His Word, God is saying to you, "I love you. I respect you. You are very precious to Me. I want you to be My child forever." Your life will be changed if you truly believe this. This is thinking right thoughts, and right thoughts lead to right actions and right feelings.
Right thoughts lead to right actions
and right feelings.
Begin thinking right thoughts now. Say to yourself, "God loves me. God respects me. I am very precious to Him. I want to be His child forever."
When you realize how much God loves you, it will make you want to love Him with all your heart. That is what God wants you to do. The Bible says,
"We love Him, because He first loved us." I John 4:19
If you could have any of the following, which would you choose?
The Bible tells about a young man who was actually given such a choice by God Himself. The young man's name was Solomon. He had just become king in Israel. God appeared to Solomon in a dream and told Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted and God would give it to him.
Solomon could have asked to be the richest king who ever lived. He could have asked to be the most powerful king in the world. But Solomon asked God to give him wisdom.
Solomon's choice of wisdom pleased God very much. God said that Solomon would be the wisest man who ever lived. God not only gave him wisdom, but He gave him riches and power and honor such as no other king ever had.
God says that wisdom is the best choice we can make. It is better to have wisdom than to have good looks. It is better to have wisdom than to be rich. It is better to have wisdom than to be popular.
What Is Wisdom?
Wisdom is thinking right thoughts and making right decisions. The person who is wise knows what is true and right and he makes right choices.
Wisdom comes from God and from God's Word. Let us think about these two ways by which we get wisdom.
We get wisdom from God. God is all wise. He knows all things. He will give us wisdom if we come to Him and ask for wisdom. The Bible says,
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.and it shall be given him."
James 1:5
We get wisdom from God's Word. In His Word, God has told us what is true and right. By reading and studying the Bible, we can know the truth and become wise. Jesus said, "Thy Word is truth."
(John 17:17)
God says that the best choice we can make is wisdom. You do not have to wait until you are grown up to become wise. Even a child can become wise through studying and obeying God's Word. Paul wrote to young Timothy,
"From a child you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise." 2 Timothy 3:15
(A story series written by Edna Menzies.)
Wendy had been sick, but she was feeling better now and wanted to go back to school. But the doctor told her she must stay at home for another ten days. At first Wendy protested and begged her mother to let her go to school.
"No, Wendy," her mother told her. "You have been a very sick girl, and you need to get your strength back before you can go to school again. Besides, I thought you would be happy to have another week with your granny."
"Oh, is Granny staying with me? I thought she would have to go back to the home today." Wendy leaned back against the soft pillows with a smile. "It's all right, Mother. And if Susan can bring my school work every day I guess I won't get too far behind. I just have to keep up with my lessons you know, because both Susan and I want to win in the camp contest. You will let me go to camp if I win, won't you, Mother?"
Her mother pulled back a curtain and stood looking out the window as she asked, "Why do you want to go to that camp, Wendy? There are other camps closer to home where we could send you."
"But this one is a special camp, Mother. It is called 'Camp Good Hope.' Isn't that a nice name? And Miss Wilson says it is a church camp, so I'm sure they will teach us more about the Bible and about Jesus. That's why I want to go. Please say yes, Mother," Wendy coaxed.
Mrs. Thompson turned from the window and looked at Wendy thoughtfully for a minute. She seemed about to ask another question but instead gave a quick sigh and opened the door. "We'll see when the time comes," she answered. "Be a good girl now, and don't pester Granny while I am away at work."
The days soon slipped by, and when Wendy went back to school she found she was not behind in any of her work.
"I'm so glad you are my friend, Susan," Wendy said that afternoon as they left school. "I would have had a hard time catching up in my lessons if: you hadn't brought them to me each day."
Susan's thin face flushed at the praise. "I wanted to do it, Wendy. 'Cause you know it was your coming to see me in all that rain that made you get sick."
"Oh, well," Wendy shrugged. "I'm better now, so forget about it. Have you asked your mother if you can go to camp if you win in the contest?"
"Not yet," Susan answered. "I'm so afraid she will say no that I keep putting off asking her."
"I think you should ask her," Wendy said. "We have been praying about it, haven't we? So even if she says you can't go, we'll just keep asking Jesus to please help her to change her mind. And He will too, if He wants you to go."
"OK," Susan agreed. "I'll ask her tonight.''
When Wendy reached home, she found Brian watching for her. He looked as if he were bursting with some exciting news. But instead of telling her he started chasing Captain around the yard and shouting, "Guess what's happened, Wendy! Guess what's happened!"
Wendy tossed her books on the step and raced after her brother. "What is it, Brian?" She grabbed his arm and hung on as she cried, "Tell me, quick!"
Pulling away, Brian turned a handspring on the grass and then lay back panting, "G-g-guess, Wendy. See if you can guess."
"You got one hundred on your history test."
"Aw, it's something miles better than that," Brian said, sitting up. His face was bright with happiness as he went on, "Remember that day I got rid of doubting Thomas and asked Jesus to be my Savior?"
Wendy nodded as she sank down on the grass beside him. "Yes, but that was weeks ago now, and—"
"Listen," Brian—interrupted, "the next day after that, I told the other kids at school all about it. Not all the kids, but the ones in our gang that sort of hang around together. Most of them laughed at me just like they had before. All except Randy Williams. He didn't say anything. He just looked sort of uncomfortable and walked away. But ever since then he has been real friendly to me. And do you know what he told me today?"
"What?" Wendy asked. She hugged the wriggling puppy close to her and waited eagerly.
"Randy told me that he had taken Jesus as his Savior over a year ago, but he had been afraid to tell the other kids 'cause he knew they would make fun of him. Then after he heard what I said to them he felt so ashamed that he didn't know what to do. He kept feeling more and more miserable until he finally went to his Sunday school teacher in their church and told him all about it. His teacher helped him to pray and ask Jesus to forgive him. And today Randy told the boys that he believed the same things I did, and he didn't care if they laughed at him or not."
"Did they laugh?" Wendy asked.
"Oh, a few of them did, like Micky Davis and Bunty and Crab Jenkins. But most of them just looked embarrassed and ran off to the ball game. But there's something more. Something just great."
"What is it?" Wendy asked. "Do hurry, Brian. 'you always take so long to tell anything exciting. Don't keep stopping. Just tell it!"
Brian laughed. "All right, Miss Impatience. When Randy and I were coming home from school, he asked me if I was going to Camp Good Hope. I told him that I thought it was just for the contest winners in your class. But he said it was for anyone, boys and girls both. The only difference is that the contest winners go free and the others have to pay their way. He said he is going and he wants me to go too."
"Oh, Brian, won't that be great if you can go!" Wendy said, delighted. "Are you going to ask Daddy?"
"You bet I am," Brian answered. "Right after supper tonight."
When supper was over Brian waited for his chance and followed his father out into the back yard. Wendy prayed as she washed the dishes, "Dear Jesus, please let Brian go to camp too." She knew her prayer was answered when Brian came into the kitchen, his face one big smile. He told her that their father said he would pay the camp fees but he thought that Brian should earn his own spending money.
Wendy decided she would need some spending money too, so for the next few days they both hurried home right after school. They found many little jobs they could do for the older people living in their neighborhood.
Wendy insisted that Susan try to earn some money too, even though Susan's mother had told her she could not go to camp. "Mother said we just don't have the money to get me the clothes I would need," Susan told Wendy sadly.
But Wendy would not give up. "I'll see if Mother will let me give you some of my last year's things that are still nice but just too tight for me. You are smaller than I am, so I hope they will fit you. And, Susan, keep praying. I just know that Jesus will get us to that camp somehow."
Susan and Wendy continued to work hard at their lessons, and Miss Wilson praised their efforts a couple of times. Some of the others in the class looked at them with envy. But Linda Sooter, who sat behind Wendy, was the only one who became really jealous. Often when the teacher was at the far side of the room, Linda would murmur just loud enough for Wendy to hear, "Teacher's pet." Wendy's face would grow hot, and sometimes anger burned in her heart.
"You should tell Miss Wilson what Linda says," Susan told Wendy when they were by themselves. "It isn't right for her to call you that. I think Miss Wilson is being fair to everybody in this contest."
"I know," Wendy answered with a sigh. "But I don't want to say anything to Miss Wilson about Linda. Linda is smart and she might even be one of the winners. And I don't think she knows Jesus, Susan, so she needs to go to camp and learn about Him. But I'm sorry when I get angry with her in my heart."
At last the long awaited day arrived. Just before the class was dismissed, Miss Wilson took a folded piece of paper from her desk. The room became very still, and Wendy felt a tight knot curl up in her stomach. She drew a quick, sharp breath as Miss Wilson began to speak.
"I want to congratulate the whole class," Miss Wilson said. "Most of you have improved in your work as well as in your conduct. I wish I could give many more of you free camp tickets, but I have only five and these are the five names I have chosen. Please stand up as I read your name. Jim Ferguson, Susan Blake, Paul Burton, Linda Sooter, and Wendy Tompson."
