Best school year ever

Jesus, help me use my power to make this a great year! Amen.

Peter asked, "Lord, if someone hurts me, how many times should I forgive them? Seven?" "No, 77 times!" Jesus answered. Then He told this story: "A man owed a king money and couldn't pay it. The king forgave him. Then the man went to a servant who owed HIM money and said, 'Pay me now!' When the servant couldn't, the man put him in jail. The king heard this and told the man, 'I forgave you, but you wouldn't forgive him!' And he threw the man in jail."

School has started, and you want this to be your best year ever! But you still have worries: Will your teacher keep liking you? Will kids be mean to you? Will you do okay in different subjects?

It's easy to feel helpless about what happens to you during the school year, but you have the power to make it good. This week's Gospel (Matthew 18:21-35) gives some clues about how to do that.

In the Gospel story, Jesus talks about a man who begs to be forgiven for not paying money he owes, then treats another person badly for having the same problem. In the end, the man gets in trouble for not being forgiving.

The same idea works for having a good school year! If you worry about your teacher liking you, ask yourself whether you're following the teacher's rules or acting up in class.

If you want other kids to be nice to you, think about how you treat them -- no one wants to be nice to a mean person!

If you're already struggling with homework, think about whether you're really paying attention in class and asking for extra help if you need it.

Jesus' story showed that we have the power to change what happens to us. The man who wasn't forgiving to others wasn't forgiven by the king, but he probably would have been treated better by other people if he'd been nicer and worked harder himself.