Bishop to Holston Home children:
God wants you to take care of yourself
by Homer Marcum
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – When people finally realize that God created them and that He loves them, that is when individuals begin to take responsibility for their lives and strive to become the person God wants them to be.
That is the message Bishop James Swanson delivered to an overflow crowd in the Chapel at Holston United Methodist Home for Children's Beacon School Feb. 4 in recognition of Black History Month – or, as Bishop Swanson said he prefers calling it – African-American Heritage Month.
Prior to the early-afternoon talk – a blend of sermon and an uplifting message of God's love, personal responsibility and second chances – Swanson ate lunch with Beacon School students in the school gymnasium. There, he mixed with students and talked with them about their lives, including one young woman who discussed how she interacts with other people.
"Learn to love yourself. That is what matters. What others think of you is not nearly as important as what you think of yourself," he told Tequisha in response to her remark to him that if others don't respect her, she doesn't respect them. Swanson said that a humorous reply often helps deflect harsh remarks from others. He urged the young woman to not always take what others say to her so seriously, and to respond with kindness.
To the dozens of students assembled in the Chapel, Swanson related the lessons he learned from watching the movie "The Lion King" with lessons his parents taught him. "Remember who you are," he said. "When I was growing up in Houston, there was always a neighbor watching after you. If I did something wrong, a neighbor, sitting on his or her porch, would tell me to "come here" and would ask, "who are your parents?"
"When I was a child at home, my mother would always tell me before I went somewhere, "Remember, you are my child. Don't do anything that would embarrass me," Swanson said.
That lesson applies to children residing at Holston Home, he said. He assured them that they are children of God, created by God, and that they are loved by God.
"You will come to realize that because God made me, I don't have the right to do with my life what I want. Understand that you were created for great things and you must not let people use you.
"When I get down on myself, I remember that God made me, and that God didn't make any junk. I learned that God created me to be a person of value. When I believe I'm God's creation, I treat myself better. How you treat yourself is more important than how anybody else treats you.
"Claim what is yours. It is the dream that God has placed inside of you," he said.
"When we get to the place where we all know that we're all equal, then that's God's love at work in us. You ought to work hard to remember who you are in the sight of God. Don't let anybody or any circumstance take that away from you," he said.
Bishop Swanson is Holston Conference's resident bishop. He is also a member of the Holston Home Board of Trustees.
Homer Marcum is director of communications at Holston Home for Children.
top
|
|
|
|
