When it is not good to be me.

Key stage 1/2
No props
Luke 18:9-14

It is good to be me. Each of us is unique, with very special gifts

But there are times when it does not feel good to be me (eg. when mum and dad split up, when there are arguments, when people do bad stuff to me [and then blamed me], when I do bad stuff to other people). Child who said, 'There are two mes: good me, and bad me. I hate the bad me'.

What do we do when it does not feel good to be me?

Jesus tells story of two people who go to church to pray (cf Luke 18.9-14) (You can bring out two children to the front to act out the two people).
The first says: 'God, I thank you that I am so fantastic, so great. I thank you that I am not like him'. The second falls to his knees and says: 'God have mercy on me a sinner'. In other words he is saying, 'God it is not good to be me. I am in a mess. People do bad to me and I do bad to people. Please help me'.
Whose prayer does Jesus say that God hears?

He hears the prayer of the person who cries out for help. The other person is not praying to God but to himself

So when it does not feel good to be me, can I suggest that we do two things:
1. We pray: we say, 'God, it does not feel good to be me - because of what happens, because of the bad other people do to me, and because of the bad I do to others. Please help me'
2. Talk to someone about why it does not feel good to be you: a parent, a teacher, a friend. It is important to do this - even if someone has told you not to. It is much easier to talk to someone else once we have talked to God.

Remember that you are unique and special, and that God made you and loves you. He wants us to come to him, and when we come to him and say, 'God help me, because at the moment it does not seem good to be me', he will help us.