Traveling With Flat Stanley
Flat Stanley is a book that is read by most first graders in our area, followed up by a class project. The story is about a boy named Stanley who is literally flattened by a bulletin board that falls on him while he is laying on his bed (OUCH!). Of course it seems terrible. But, Stanley quickly learns that the terrible thing that has happened to him has many benefits—one of which is that he can now be put into an envelope and mailed to different people in different parts of the world. Thus, Stanley goes places and does things he could never have done before.
The follow-up project for the students involves coloring in a picture of Flat Stanley and mailing him to a family friend or relative who in turn takes Flat Stanley to all kinds of places. The friend or relative takes pictures of Flat Stanley and sends back both pictures and a letter outlining Stanley’s many adventures. A few weeks ago, I received Flat Stanley from my nephew Billy. (I think Billy is the second or third one to send us Flat Stanley.) Thus, over the past few weeks we’ve taken Flat Stanley to New York City, to a Japanese restaurant (he loved eating with chopsticks!), to the park where he rode the swing and went down the slide (to name just a few of the places we’ve been). He really liked taking a walk with our dog Mabel! In the end, Stanley’s misfortune became the start of a new adventure for him; something good actually resulted from what seemed to have been a terrible tragedy.
I know in my life, I’ve often felt like a “Flat Stanley.” I’ve had those times when it’s felt as if a bulletin board has fallen on me and done all but wipe me out. The pain and confusion have been very, very real. But thankfully, the flattening times of life need not be the end of the story—not for me, nor for you. Like Flat Stanley such times may in fact be the doorway to something new and special within our lives, especially as God steps in to work his good purposes for us.
The Bible never negates the flattening times of life. But we are always reminded that with God there is always hope, no matter how flattened we might feel by the circumstances of life. Thus, the writers of Scriptures penned words such as:
Proverbs 23:18 – “There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” (NIV)
Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (NIV)
Psalm 30:11 – “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy….” (NIV)
If you feel flattened today by the circumstances of your life, know that there is hope. God may be preparing you for something new…maybe for a brand new adventure! God might even use Flat Stanley to inspire you to see your difficulty as a new opportunity!
Have a great day! And, wish me “luck” with Flat Stanley—we only have a few more days to do go!
-Pastor Tim Harris
The follow-up project for the students involves coloring in a picture of Flat Stanley and mailing him to a family friend or relative who in turn takes Flat Stanley to all kinds of places. The friend or relative takes pictures of Flat Stanley and sends back both pictures and a letter outlining Stanley’s many adventures. A few weeks ago, I received Flat Stanley from my nephew Billy. (I think Billy is the second or third one to send us Flat Stanley.) Thus, over the past few weeks we’ve taken Flat Stanley to New York City, to a Japanese restaurant (he loved eating with chopsticks!), to the park where he rode the swing and went down the slide (to name just a few of the places we’ve been). He really liked taking a walk with our dog Mabel! In the end, Stanley’s misfortune became the start of a new adventure for him; something good actually resulted from what seemed to have been a terrible tragedy.
I know in my life, I’ve often felt like a “Flat Stanley.” I’ve had those times when it’s felt as if a bulletin board has fallen on me and done all but wipe me out. The pain and confusion have been very, very real. But thankfully, the flattening times of life need not be the end of the story—not for me, nor for you. Like Flat Stanley such times may in fact be the doorway to something new and special within our lives, especially as God steps in to work his good purposes for us.
The Bible never negates the flattening times of life. But we are always reminded that with God there is always hope, no matter how flattened we might feel by the circumstances of life. Thus, the writers of Scriptures penned words such as:
Proverbs 23:18 – “There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” (NIV)
Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (NIV)
Psalm 30:11 – “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy….” (NIV)
If you feel flattened today by the circumstances of your life, know that there is hope. God may be preparing you for something new…maybe for a brand new adventure! God might even use Flat Stanley to inspire you to see your difficulty as a new opportunity!
Have a great day! And, wish me “luck” with Flat Stanley—we only have a few more days to do go!
-Pastor Tim Harris
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