Cool strategy!

From across the gym at STARTS, "Frederick" comes running towards me.  He has a serious look on his face.  

Backstory: I had told the kids to put away the foam blocks they had used for castle building (and destruction!) a couple of minutes earlier. 

Back to my story: "What's wrong, Frederick?"  

"They're hitting me, so I can't be there with them!"

This is when I had a "Holy Spirit moment" (Luke 21:15).  Instead of brushing him aside as just another whiny, complaining kid, I hunched down till we were at eye-level and I said to him: "What do you think of this idea; they did something to you that wasn't nice.  You go back there and help them clean up the foam blocks, anyway - they will be so embarrassed that they treated you badly, and they won't know what to say when you help them!"

To my amazement, he straightened his posture, his face lit up with a determined expression, he whirled around on his heel and jogged back to the "construction site" to help his adversaries!

This became as much a lesson for me as it did for Frederick – perhaps more. I learned something about trusting the Lord for the words and the wisdom to handle situations. I also was reminded of the importance of simply showing up; if you don’t, the word or the wisdom The Holy Spirit gives you will have no situation in which to come alive.