HUMILITY: THE BALLOON GAME

Robert Roberts writes about a fourth grade class in which the teacher introduced a game called "balloon stomp." A balloon was tied to every child's leg, and the object of the game was to pop everyone else's balloon while protecting one's own. The last person with an intact balloon would win.

The fourth graders in Roberts' story entered into the spirit of the game with vigor. Balloons were relentlessly targeted and destroyed. A few of the children clung to the sidelines like wallflowers at a middle school dance, but their balloons were doomed just the same. The entire battle was over in a matter of seconds, leaving only one balloon inflated. Its owner was, of course, the most disliked kid in the class. It's hard to really win at a game like balloon stomp. In order to complete your mission, you have to be pushy, rude and offensive.

Roberts goes on to write that a second class was introduced to the same game. Only this time it was a class of mentally handicapped children. They were given the same explanation as the first class, and the signal to begin was given. But the game proceeded very differently. Perhaps the instructions were given too quickly for children with learning disabilities to grasp them. The one idea that got through was that the balloons were supposed to be popped. So it was the balloons, not the other players, that were viewed as enemies. Instead of fighting each other, they began helping each other pop balloons. One little girl knelt down and held her balloon carefully in place, like a holder for a field goal kicker. A little boy stomped it flat. Then he knelt down and held his balloon for her. It went on like this for several minutes until all the balloons were vanquished, and everybody cheered. Everybody won.

Who got the game right, and who got the game wrong? In our world, we tend to think of another person's success as one less opportunity for us to succeed. There can only be one top dog, one top banana, one big kahuna. If we ever find ourselves in that enviable position, we will fight like mad to maintain our hold on it. A lot of companies fail to enjoy prolonged success because the people in charge have this "balloon stomp" mentality. In the church, the rules change. Jesus Christ gets top billing. We're just here to serve his purposes, and we do that most effectively by elevating others and humbling ourselves.

A Future President's Gratitude

Grace was the little girl who told Lincoln to grow a beard

Conrad Hyers in his book, And God Created Laughter tells a of an 8 year old girl who wrote to Abraham Lincoln, who was then running for President suggesting that he grow a beard. In her opinion, Lincoln would stand a better chance of election if he grew one to hide the homeliness of his face. Lincoln could have been offended, but instead he answered her letter personally and thanked her for her suggestion, furthering adding that he’d like to visit with her when his campaign came to her area.

On the day that Lincoln’s campaign train was scheduled to pass through the town, practically the whole town was assembled at the station. There were the leading Republicans wearing their top hats, the shiny marching, band, the townsfolk in their finest attire. Almost everyone was there... al except the little girl. She was left home. After all, her father reasoned, Lincoln would be interested only in the politicians and their speeches - the votes and the voters - not the attentions of a little girl.
 

It so happened, however, that as the campaign train approached the town, it was forced to stop for repairs. Lincoln, not wanting to sit in the warm train, set off across the field afoot in search of the little girl’s home.
When Lincoln introduced himself at the door, the maid was speechless. But the little girl and her playmate, the maid’s daughter, welcomed him in as if they were expecting him. The two girls had been having a pretend party, drinking pretend hot chocolate out of their small teacups and they invited Mr. Lincoln to join them. After a while, Lincoln said he must be going, thanked them for the party, and asked them how they liked his new beard. Then he walked to the waiting train.
 

When Lincoln boarded the train, it started on its way and went right through the town without stopping. Right past all the waiting dignitaries, politicians, loud playing band and flag draped platform; right past ladies and gentlemen in their Sunday best... for Lincoln hadn’t come to visit people who were putting on a show for his benefit. He had come to visit and say thank you to a little girl who just wanted to spend time with him.

The Horse Thief

A man in the old west was being tried for stealing a horse and, as you probably know from reading history, this was a very serious offense. You could be hung if you were caught stealing a horse. 

Now, the problem with this situation was that the man whose horse had been stolen had gotten the best of every person on the jury at one time or another. Each one of them had been swindled, cheated, or conned in some way by the plaintiff. And so the case was tried. 

The man whose horse had been stolen was sitting there and the judge asked the foreman of the jury, "Have you reached a verdict?" And the chairman said, "Yes we have, your honor." After a few moments of silence the chairman spoke and he said, "We find the defendant not guilty, if he will return the horse!" 

Laughter broke out, and so after the judge silenced everybody in the courtroom, he admonished the jury, "I can't accept that verdict. You have to retire until you reach another one." So they went back into the jury room and thought about how to render the verdict. 

Each jury-member thought about how the plaintiff, at one time or another, had gotten the best of them. So an hour later, the same thing happened. "Gentlemen of the jury have you reached a verdict?" the judge asked again. "Yes we have your honor," replied the foreman. "What say ye? What is your verdict?" 

The courtroom was deathly silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Eagerly, everyone awaited the verdict. The foreman stood and said, "We find the defendant not guilty and he can keep the horse!" The courtroom burst into laughter again. 

After hearing this story, you can come away from it thinking, "Well, what's the moral of the story?" If you cheat people and if you do wrong by people, sooner or later you are going to get yours? If you desire to be a friend, then you had better be a friend? If you desire other people to help you then you better help others? And if you desire justice at the hands of others, then you better practice justice towards them? 

George Antonakos

Faithfulness Personified

Michael Faraday (1791-1867)

A crowded gather of distinguished scientists had been listening spellbound to the masterly expositions of Michael Faraday. For an hour he had held his brilliant audience enthralled as he demonstrated the nature and properties of the magnet. He had brought his lecture to a close with an experiment so novel, so bewildering, and so triumphant, that for some time after he resumed his seat, the house rocked with enthusiastic applause. 

And then the Prince of Wales... afterwards King Edward VII rose to propose a motion of congratulation. The resolution, having been duly seconded, was carried with renewed thunders of applause. Suddenly the uproar ceased and a strange silence settled over the audience. 

The assembly waited for Faraday's reply. But he did not appear. Only his most intimate friends knew what had become of him. He was an elder in a little Sandemanian church... a church that never boasted more than twenty members. 

The hour at which Faraday concluded his lecture was the hour of the weeknight prayer meeting. 

Michael Faraday was a British physicist and chemist, best known for his discoveries of electromagnetic induction and of the laws of electrolysis. His biggest breakthrough in electricity was his invention of the electric motor