I Can't Believe You Just Said That! by Ginger Hubbard

Author:Ginger Hubbard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2018-03-22T04:00:00+00:00

10

TEASING

Vince and David are playing in Vince’s tree house when suddenly they hear leaves crunching close by. They crack open the tree house door and peek out to see who the intruder is. It is Julie, Vince’s younger sister. Decked out in her favorite princess costume, Julie is skipping toward the tree house while singing to her baby doll securely cradled in her arms.

“Oh no,” complains Vince. “She probably wants to play in the tree house.” Vince would rather hang out with David alone, but he remembers his parents talking to him about being kinder to his sister.

Julie climbs the ladder and walks in on the boys. “Hey, what are you guys doing?” she chirps as she straightens the oversized tiara on her head.

“We’re hanging out and watching the squirrel traps through the spy holes,” David replies. “We caught one last week and almost got bit when we let him go. You wanna watch with us?”

Excited over the invitation, Julie grins and eagerly nods, which causes the tiara to fall over her eyes. “Yeah, that sounds cool!” she says, rushing to the nearest spy hole while adjusting her tiara again.

At first the three of them get along well, but then Vince begins teasing—something he has started doing often, especially when his friends are around.

“So, which princess are you supposed to be today, Julie? Stephanie the Stupid or Delores the Dumb?” Vince laughs as he glances at David to gauge his friend’s reaction. Vince is pleased as David chuckles. Mission accomplished.

Mom approaches the tree house with three popsicles just in time to hear Julie’s response.

“You can make fun of me if you want, but I am actually Snow White, which means all the squirrels like me, so if you are nice to me, I might help you catch one!” Julie is determined to fight back, but the tears begin pooling in her eyes.

“Oh yeah, I forgot how all the forest animals were like Snow White’s pets,” retorts Vince. “I’m sure if we wait around long enough, all the squirrels and birds will show up to curl your hair and tie your bows. Don’t you think so, David?”

Julie swallows the swelling lump in her throat, but it’s no use. The tears begin to trickle down her cheeks.

UNDERSTAND THE HEART OF THE MATTER

Teasing can manifest in many ways, such as mocking (imitating someone to make him appear and feel stupid, silly, or ridiculous) or insulting (verbally ridiculing or belittling someone to make him appear and feel inadequate or less significant). Whether the teaser is criticizing, belittling, or making fun in a joking way, biblically, teasing falls under the category of “unwholesome talk” that fails to benefit the listener. In fact, unwholesome talk does just the opposite. It tears down the listener, which is a direct violation of God’s commands to love others (John 13:34) and build them up (Eph. 4:29).

There are at least three motives for teasing: to get attention, to entertain, and to verbalize what you truly mean, with the latter typically

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.