Theme: Being content in every situation.

Object:  A hammer and a board with two nails partially driven into it.

Scripture:  Do everything without complaining or arguing,  Philippians  2:14
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Philippians 4:12

This morning I have an object that is familiar to all of us.  It is a hammer.  As you know, if you use this part of the hammer (the face), it is used to knock on something, like this.  (drive one of the nails into the board.)  If you use this part of the hammer (the claw), it is used to pull on something.  (Pull the other nail out of the board.)  A hammer can either be a knocker or it can be a puller, but it can't be both at the same time.

People are a lot like a hammer.  They can either be a knocker or a puller. Some people go around knocking everything all the time.  They complain about this and they complain about that.  They can never think of anything good to talk about.  Other people are pullers.  They are always positive and are always pulling together with other people.

I heard a story one time about a boy who moved to a new town.  On the first day of school, he asked his teacher, "What kind of kids do you have in this school?"

The teacher asked him a question in return.  "What kind of kids did they have in your last school?"

"Oh, they were great kids.  Everyone was very friendly and easy to get along with." answered the boy.

"Well that is same kind of kids we have in this school," said the teacher.

A few minutes later, another student who was new to the school asked the teacher,  "What kind of kids do you have in this school?"
"What kind of kids did they have in the last school you attended?" asked the teacher.

"Oh they were not very friendly at all and they were very hard to get along with," answered the boy.

"Well, that's the same kind of kids you will find in this school too," said the teacher.

Two students asked the same question, but the teacher gave them different answers.  You see, the teacher understood the lesson of the hammer.  You can either be a knocker or a puller.  It is up to you!  A new school year is beginning.  Will you be a knocker or a puller?