A little experiment with a disposable diaper will help us see the importance of shedding nasty things, like resentment and grudges, instead of wearing them around like a dirty diaper.

On Your Own

Things You’ll Need

•Disposable diapers, one for each kid, plus two more. You’ll use one of those extra diapers in advance as a test. You’ll need the second extra diaper for the end of the devotional. Ask around; it generally isn’t hard to find people at church who will be happy to give you a couple of unused diapers. Otherwise, pick up a pack at the store or online (and perhaps donate the remainder to your church nursery). The bigger size you can get, the better. Do you have access to some adult diapers? Even better.

•Bucket of water. Nothing fancy here, just something big enough to put the diapers in to absorb water. You can also use a sink.

Advance Prep

Take one of the diapers and put it in a bucket of water. You’ll want to get a basic idea of how long it takes for the diaper to reach its maximum absorption. Generally, ten minutes is plenty of time. Armed with that information, you can do this activity with the kids.

With the Kids

Running the Activity

Get the kids together and hand each of them a dry diaper. Tell them you want to see how much water it can absorb and compare how that changes its weight.

Invite them to stuff their diaper into the sink or bucket of water. Explain that they’ll want to leave it there for a few minutes. In the meantime, you can dig right into the spiritual truth in the next section.

Teaching the Lesson

Let’s start out with a few questions about diapers . . . and we’d like to get your input here.

What is the purpose of diapers? Basically, diapers are worn to keep clothes—­of the one wearing the diaper and those close to that person—­from getting messed up.

Diapers are generally intended for use by whom? Babies and toddlers who aren’t potty-trained or adults who no longer have mobility or control of certain bodily functions.

How often should diapers be changed? Every time they become wet or filled, right? Here’s a multiple-­choice question: What happens when diapers aren’t changed that often?

A. A person with a dirty diaper begins to smell . . . and other people will get annoyed or try to avoid them.

B. A person with a dirty diaper carries a lot more weight around with them than they need to. If they can walk, their walk may look funny . . . more of a waddle.

C. Likely, a dirty diaper will eventually slow down the person wearing it—­or if left on long enough, it may even make them sore.

D. All of the above.

Another multiple-­choice question: What do we do with a dirty disposable diaper once it has been removed?

A. Let it dry so we can use it again.

B. Hide it in our bedroom so we can pull it out and look at it sometime.

C. Give it to a friend.

D. Throw it out.

There are some things that we just aren’t meant to hold on to, including a full diaper. Another thing we’re not to hold on to is a grudge. When somebody does something that hurts or bothers us—­or fails to do something we expected them to do—­it’s pretty easy to get upset.

Getting upset is a natural reaction. When we feel we’ve been wronged, it’s not like we choose to get upset. It happens fast, often without us thinking about it. But what’s really important is what we do next. That’s when we do have a choice.

If we hold on to that sense that we’ve been “wronged” somehow, we can get ourselves in trouble. We think about it, replaying it in our minds over and over.

•Maybe we think about how we’d like to get even or would like to see that other person punished in some way.

•We think of more and more reasons why we’re right, and the other person is wrong.

•We begin to find ways to “punish” the other person. Maybe by things we say or do or by being silent. We show them in different ways that they’ve wronged us.

•Often, we talk to friends about how we’ve been wronged—­but not because we want their help forgiving the person. It’s more like we’re trying to convince them that we have every right to be upset, and frequently it’s about building allies who will join us in resenting the person we’re mad at.

•This person who wronged us may become someone we talk about more and more . . . almost like we’re obsessed with them.

So here are two BIG questions.

How are the reactions we just talked about similar to walking around with a dirty diaper?

What does the Bible say we should do when someone has wronged us?

Jesus says we’re to forgive the person who offends us. That doesn’t mean we automatically trust that person—­or that things go back to how they were before we were wronged. But we don’t want to carry the dirty diaper of resentment around with us.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-­seven times.” (Matt. 18:21–22 NIV)

Here are three things that might help you lose that diaper of resentment.

1. Talk to your parents. It’s generally smart to talk to someone who has experienced more of life to help get a wider perspective. Remember, the goal is to get free of your resentment so it doesn’t hurt you more. In other words, you need to lose the diaper.

Listen to advice and accept discipline,

and at the end you will be counted among the wise. (Prov. 19:20 NIV)

2. Talk to the person who offended you. And be sure to listen too.

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that “every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Matt. 18:15–17 NIV)

3. Take care of it quickly. The longer you stew over how you’ve been wronged, the more you’ll pay the price for walking around in that dirty diaper. Anger and resentment lead to bad things, and you must lose them—­fast. Don’t sleep on it; get rid of it and then sleep. You’ll sleep better. The Holy Spirit will help change your heart if you ask him to.

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (Eph. 4:26–27 NIV)

Summing It Up

It’s time to check those diapers you left soaking. Have each kid pick one up and wrap it up with adhesive strips to form a football. Then have them compare the weight to the diaper you didn’t soak.

If you can, take the kids outside and have them play catch for a minute or two with the diaper footballs. Then rein it in to sum things up.

•If your diaper was filled with waste instead of water, you wouldn’t want to wear it or toss it around like a football with others.

•You wouldn’t hide it in your room until it got even more ripe. You’d get rid of the diaper.

•If we walk around in a dirty diaper—­and refuse to change it because we think we have every right to wear that thing—­we’ll find people just don’t want to be all that close to us. They’ll think we’re a little weird too.

•If we walk around in a dirty diaper, we’ll eventually get skin sores that hurt us even more. And when we hold on to resentment or grudges, we’re disobeying what Jesus taught, which will always hurt us more in the long run.

Is there someone you resent right now? Lose the diaper.

And the next time you’re tempted to hold a grudge, remember to think of it as a dirty diaper . . . and let it go.