Not as bad as you think

Jesus, help me remember all the fun things I want to do this summer. Amen!

A man begged Jesus, "My daughter is dying. Please, come save her." Jesus went, but when they got there, the girl had died. Jesus asked everyone, "Why are you crying? The girl is not dead; she's just sleeping." Then He took the girl's hand and said, "Little girl, get up!" And the girl sat up, alive and well again.

Summer just started, and you're already bored. Your sister is annoying you; you're not going on vacation for weeks; you already miss the friends you saw every day at school.

You know you're supposed to be excited, but today feels like the worst day ever!

This week's Gospel (Mark 5:21-43) is a good reminder that lots of situations are probably not as bad as you think they are -- including summer boredom.

In the Gospel story, everyone's upset because a girl died. Jesus heals her, but He also reminds people that dying isn't has bad as they think: It's like going to sleep, and waking up in heaven with God.

As you groan about how long and boring the summer is going to be, that's something to remember. If dying is the worst thing that can happen to a person and Jesus says it's really not so bad, getting bored once in a while can't possibly be too big a deal!

Jesus "wakes up" the little girl in the Gospel story, and you can wake yourself up, too: If summer just started and you're already bored and cranky, make a list of all the things you couldn't wait to do when school let out, and start doing them.

Run through a sprinkler or swim in a pool. Read. Call your friends and make play dates. Practice your soccer moves. Learn how to stand on your head. Clean underneath your bed and find some toys you lost months ago...and relax!

Things are not as bad as you think!