Moods keep changing

Jesus, help me to help other people when I'm in a good mood, and ask for help when I'm not! Amen.

"Be happy if you're poor," said Jesus; "God's kingdom, heaven, belongs to you. Be happy if you're hungry -- someday, you'll eat all you want. If you're sad, you will laugh. If people hurt you for believing in God, you'll go to heaven. But those who are rich now will be poor and hungry; the bullies will be the ones crying; and people who think they're great will be last in God's kingdom."

Kids' moods change quickly and often. You might wake up grumpy in the morning but feel better as soon as you eat breakfast. Sometimes, you go to school happy, feel angry that you get a lot of homework, and then get happy again when another good thing happens!

Moods aren't the only things that change all the time. Life does, too. In this week's Gospel (Luke 6:17,20-26), Jesus promises that bad times won't last forever -- and that people who think life will always be great for them should know everyone has tough times.

Kids are good at "snapping out" of bad moods. For example, a promise from your mom to play a board game with you later can make your crankiness about having to clean your room first disappear.

But when a bad time lasts longer -- like when people are poor or sad -- it can be hard to stay cheerful. That's why Jesus tried to comfort people. In the Gospel story, He promised that poor and hungry people would be rich and full in heaven, and that people who were terribly sad would find happiness again if they trusted God.

Jesus also warned people not to show off when things are going well. If you have enough food and money, He wanted you to share it, not be greedy; if you're strong, He hoped you'd use that strength to help people, not hurt them.

Moods change fast -- from bad to good, and also good to bad. If we stay close to God, we'll probably have more of the good times!