“The last of human freedoms is to choose ones attitude in any given situation.”

Vicktor E. Frankl penned these words in his book, Man's Search For Meaning. He was discussing his own imprisonment at the hands of the Germans. His home had become a concentration camp with thousands of other Jews, who really had no hope. Frankl noticed a difference between those surviving and those who were dying. The one's who were most healthy were the ones that decided that they still had some kind of control over their futures. A simple decision of what to eat first on their meager plate was enough to keep some sane. Those who were dying by the day, were the ones who had given up and conceeded all hope and most of all, all choices. They essentially were the walking dead.

Most of you know that we have been discussing the relationships we have with our parents during Jr. High youth group. You might be asking yourself what Vicktor Frankl has to do with getting along with parents. No, their lives are not like concentration camps. However, the attitude that they chose to address this relationship with, will determine the outcome; just as Frankl noticed a connection to attitude and survival.

In Philippians 2, Paul reminds us that our attitude should be the same as Jesus. He goes on to explain the humble and service oriented attitudes that Jesus displayed. The word translated attitude was used back then to mean the "diaphragm." The muscle that cause the lungs to inhale and exhale. The diaphragm determines the nature and strength of the breath and hence the human spirit and its emotions. Therefore, our very nature, our very essence, should be the servant attitude displayed by Jesus in John 13, when he washed the disciples feet and ultimately his work on the Cross.

I challenged the Jr. High kids to take this servant attitude home to their parents, as an example of who they are following. Easier said than done.

Then we threw Marshmallows in the air and tried to catch them. The guys caught 66 from Ian (who washed his hands first), but the girls didn't do as well.