April Fools - More Seeds of Hope for Lent

Today’s story seed is April Fools. From the Book of Wisdom chapter 2, verse 19 With revilement and torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. He sat on the grass reading his book as the other fourth-grade kids raced around the playground and field. Three boys were huddled together, their knees resting on the playground woodchips as they figured out the final details of their hilarious plan. A moment later, they got up, and two of them went off into the field. The other boy walked over to the one sitting quietly on the grass reading. “Hey,” said the taller boy to the one reading, “you need to get some exercise and have some fun. Come with me.” “No thanks.” “Seriously, you’re coming with me. Too much reading is bad for your eyes.” He reached down and grabbed the arm of the other boy and pulled him up. “I really don’t feel like playing. I just want to read.” “No way! You’re coming with me. Let’s have some fun.” The bigger boy pushed the book out of the other’s hand and carried him onto the playground. “Cut it out. I told you, I don’t want to play.” “Let’s just do the swings for a little bit.” They were now next to the three unoccupied swings. “Alright,” said the smaller boy. It was the one thing on the playground he liked. They began to swing. The bigger one said, “Let’s see who can jump off farthest. I’ll go first.” He released himself from the seat, soared through the air, and landed on the mulch. The smaller boy did two more pumps of his legs to go higher and higher, then jumped from the swing. He landed further than the first boy had gone. “That’s crazy. You beat me by like a mile. Let’s do it again. This time, I know I can beat you.” They hopped on the swings. Higher and faster they went. The two boys jumped at the same time. They flew through the air together. When they landed, the small boy had gone further than the other. “You’re amazing at that! I don’t know how a kid who reads all the time could be that good.” “You might try reading some time. You learn about everything in books.” The bigger boy shouted, “Come on, let’s do the slide.” As he had hoped, the smaller boy followed. When they got to the ladder, he said, “Champions go first.” The smaller one climbed the steps, pushed himself off the platform, and slid down the curving track. As he came to the bottom, he was surprised to see a group of kids waiting for him. There was something else waiting for him as well. He tried to stop, but he wasn’t quick enough. He slid into the pile of dog poop squished onto the end of the slide. An enormous burst of laughter came from the group of kids. “April Fools,” they shouted. April Fool’s Day is something many of us love. It is fun to do innocent, little pranks on each other. This story is clearly not about that. These kids have done something disgustingly cruel. Could something like this actually happen? You bet it could, and has, and will continue. It seems there is no limit to the cruelty of people. Where do you stand? Have you been the perpetrator? The victim? The witness? What would you do if you were this boy? We learn from our mistakes. Being God’s people, following the path of love and gentleness is a blueprint embedded in our soul, but we have to take the time to look at the directions. When we find what matters most in life, cruelty is never our path. Our laughter comes from genuine joy, not the misery of others. Now let’s take 30 seconds to water the seed… What do you know now that you didn’t as a kid on the playground?