Recently irritated

I was thinking about situations lately where I have been irritated at other people. I thought this would give me some ideas to use in teaching the lesson, "How to Be Pro-Life" (Mark 3:3-5; 5:33-42; 10:14-16). They are good examples of where I was not too caring.

I've traveled a lot lately, and sometimes I'm irritated in a crowded airport when I'm nearly run over by parents pushing a kid in an SUV-sized stroller. Irritated at the parents, I ask myself "Are they transporting a child or moving?" Also, I get irritated when I get beeped at to make way for a cart carrying perfectly healthy people rushing to make a flight just like I am doing.

In one situation I was looking for a parking spot (in bad weather) and none were to be found up close to my destination. However, it was surrounded by myriad EMPTY handicap parking places, so many that the business appeared to be closed. Somewhat irritated, I parked a fair distance away and as I traipsed toward the main door, a lady whipped into a handicap spot and hussled into the building ahead of me. She was not handicapped.

To help surface uncaring attitudes in your class ask members to talk about a situation where they were recently irritated. Some might involve interruptions such as the one Jesus experienced in Mark 5:33-42, or Mark 10:14-16. You might mention how this article suggests dealing with irritation, and contrast it with the approach used by Jesus.