Day 22, so Proverbs 22... Verse 8 (GNT):
"If you plant the seeds of injustice, disaster will spring up, and your oppression of others will end."
A child makes up a nickname to laugh at a classmate. Others repeat it. Soon, the child given the nickname no longer wants to join the game. It seemed like a small joke, but it spread sadness and made the group a place where someone is afraid of being next.
The proverb compares evil to a seed that can grow into much suffering. This does not mean that every sad thing is punishment, or that feeling angry makes you a bad child. What matters is learning not to use that anger to hurt others and asking for help when it is hard.
Jesus loves you before you get anything right, and even when you make mistakes. You do not need to do everything perfectly to be loved. If you joined in with the nickname, you can stop repeating it, admit the mistake, and ask an adult to help make things right where possible. Your classmate may need time and does not have to play with you immediately.
If someone is humiliating, threatening, or hurting you, tell a trusted adult. If the first one does not help, find another. You do not need to take revenge, keep a frightening secret, or solve the problem alone. Adults have a responsibility to protect children.
Golden phrase: "I can stop what hurts and ask for help to do good."