SUNDAY SCHOOL CORNER.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 29, Issue 1, 1 March 1938, Page 3

SUNDAY SCHOOL CORNER.

Diocesan Office, Napier. Dear Girls and Boys, — I hope that your first month at school has passed happily, and that you are looking forward to the days ahead m the spirit of adventure. You know what that means, don't you? Every one can, and ought to, begin the day knowing that there is something new to be learned, and some job waiting to be done. If you begin your days like that you will never have a dull day. Have you ever seen a garden which has not been looked after? Can you picture such a place m your minds? Tall grasses and prickly thistles grow wild and thick, paths are overgrown by weeds, and only a bright flower here and there tells of the garden which used to be. Do you know that such a garden, overgrown and untidy, is rather like a picture of some people's characters? What is character? It is the adding up of all the things, good and bad, which we do day by day. You know, don't you, boys, that if you want to be a really good footballer you must do some hard training? And you, perhaps, begin by getting up at a certain time and running round the block. For a few mornings it is very hard work, and you are tempted to give in — bother football; you would rather, have an extra half -hour m bed! But. because you really want to play football well, you keep on, and you win. Getting up early and running round the block soon becomes a habit, and you can say to someone, "Oh! I always run a mile before breakfast." You can understand that, I know, and that is just how character is .made. The good things, yes,, and the bad things you*, do, soon become

habits, and your habits make your character. And what has all this to do with a garden? I think that girls' and boys' characters are like a garden which has begun to grow weeds. Some of the weeds may be growing fast and tall, and can be seen above the flowers; but there are still many lovely flowers to be seen. You know what the weeds m your character are — all the ugly, unkind selfish habits that are forming. And the flowers m your character can be seen so often above them-;— the good, kind and unselfish habits. When a gardener is put into an over-grown garden, he not only pulls up the weeds,, but he grows new seeds. LENT begins on March 3rd, which is ASH WEDNESDAY. LENT means "Growing Time," and I want you to try to grow new habits. Like the gardener, make up your minds to root up at least some of the weeds m your character — your cheeky replies to mother and dad, perhaps. Then I want you to sow some new seeds m your character. If I give you some suggestions, I hope you will take them and use them. 1. Do you pray every morning and every evening? 2. Do you read your Bible every day? 3. Do you like to do something to help someone else during the day? This suggestion applies very much to your homes. 4. Do you get pennies which you could save for some work which is being done for God? I find it a good plan to write down on paper the things I try to do during Lent, and I think it would help you. The Church keeps these forty days m Lent as a time when her children, who are God's children, try to grow more like God. And how do we know what God is like? We look at Jesus, who is God, and who .came to earth to show men what God is like, and what God meant His children to be like. These are some Bible readings which you could use:— St. Matthew, chapter 5, verses 3-12, verses 38-48.

I Corinthians, chapter 13, verses I^B. Colossians, chapter 3, verses 12---n. . ; ..;,'. ■'"■■■■ St. Luke, chapter 23, verses 33-49. This is a good prayer to use during Lent:— Teach us, Good Lord to serve Thee as Thou deservest To give and not to count the cost, To fight, and not to heed the wounds, To toil, and not to seek rest, To labour and not to ask for any reward, Save that of knowing that we dp Thy will. Your friend, D. M. BEATTIE.