Hello! Here is a new series - "When I Feel...". You don't have to be an educator for long to realize that kids just don't really know how to respond to their feelings. It is something that needs to be taught, just as much as math, reading and writing, if not more! Regulating feelings is something that even as adults we struggle to do. It is important that as parents we start giving our children tools to know how to respond when they feel...
So we are going to start with fear. It doesn't take long for our kids to have feelings of fear. A conversation for another day is that we are probably teaching them to be afraid, instead of teach them to be bold, brave, and strong! But I digress! ;)
I hope that the following will open the doors to conversations with your kids, with each other. We all have feelings of fear, how do you handle them? Share with your children how you deal with those feelings. The more they know you have the same feelings and haven't "mastered" life, the more willing they will be to share their struggles with you.
One of my examples all the time is my fear of the unknown as it relates to my kids. I'm afraid of what might happen to them when they go to a friends house, when they go to camp, when they are in school. If I don't do something intentional, that fear can overtake me, and control me. I let my kids know that this is sin! If I allow those fears to control me, I am not allowing God to have control, I am not trusting in Him, and His plan.
Good luck and God bless as you start this new journey talking about feelings and how God would want us to respond when we feel the way we do.
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Overarching Verse - This is the verse to memorize during this entire series, however, there will be other daily verses that you could work on as works for your family.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2
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Songs
For Kids:
For the Family:
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Illustration
For Kids:
For the Family:
There are so many things we could come up with that people are afraid of. One of the biggest being the fear of losing the ones we love. There is one story of overcoming fear that comes to mind whenever I think of this concept.
Over 50 years ago there were 5 missionaries who were desperate to find the Auca tribe in the jungles of Ecuador. They flew planes over the jungles in search of the thatched roofs of the tribe. One day they found them!
They spent some time dropping gifts to this tribe who were known to be dangerous and take the lives of even their own. One day they made contact with the 2 women and a man from the tribe. They gave them food and showed them their plane. That night the missionaries went back to their base and praised God for the answered prayer.
However, little did they know, those tribe members went back to the tribe and lied to the the rest of the group. When the 5 men returned to the place where they had made contact with the tribe members, they were killed by the tribe.
The wives of these men grieved the loss of their husbands. Many people in the same position as these women may have returned home to continue grieving. But Elisabeth Elliot, and one other prepared to return to the Auca tribe. They learned the language and about the people, and 2 years after that fatal day, they went to the Auca tribe to tell them about Jesus.
Can you imagine the fear they must have felt when they stepped foot on the same land their husbands had been on? When they encountered the people who had taken the ones they loved? Their love for the Lord and their faith and trust in Him is what propelled them to take that journey. A desire to see the mission their loved ones had set out to accomplish finished. To show love to the ones who destroyed their families.
When they arrived, they began to teach from their Bibles. Their forgiveness and acceptance of the tribe led them to Jesus. One of the men who speared 2 of the missionary men made a commitment to Jesus. The ladies taught them how to forgive fearlessly and love tremendously. They later renamed their tribe from Auca which meant "savage", to Waorani to reflecct their powerful transformation. If you would like to hear more of this story, watch the film - End of the Spear.
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Read - 1 Kings 18
Elijah was a prophet of the Lord. He was sent by God to meet with King Ahab. Ahab had been killing all the prophets of the Lord. God sent Elijah to deliver a warning to Ahab to repent and turn to Him.
Even thought Elijah had every right to be fearful, he had courage to go before Ahab and the Isrealites to go up against the prophets of Baal, an idol. God shows up and does some amazing miracles to show that He is the one, true God. God brings fire, rain, and gives Elijah speed and endurance so he could run ahead of Ahab's chariot.
In light of all that transpired, you would think Elijah would have faith and trust God entirely with any situation thrown at him. But when Elijah got a message from Jezabel, Ahab's evil wife, he was terrified. Jezabel promised to kill him as he had the prophets of Baal.
Do you know what happens next? God isn't upset, he doesn't give Elijah a lecture, or remind him of how he was faithful. God sends an ange to Elijah and takes care of him, giving him food and nourishment. He sends Elijah on a 40 day journey through the wilderness to Mt. Sinai, the same Mountain God met Moses on. After 40 days of caring for Elijah, God speaks to Elijah about his fear.
Elijah didn't have fear becasue he didn't trust in God. He had fear because he didn't know or understand God's plan. Elijah knew God had the power to save him, he knew however, that Jezabel had already killed hundreds of prophets of the Lord. So God comes to Elijah on that mountain and instead of speaking to him about his lack of trust and faith, he softly whispers, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
Isn't it something? To think of the Lord God Almighty softly whispering into the ear of His child. God then explains to Elijah His plan and directs him in what to do next. I just love this image. I love thinking of that moment, how Elijah may have felt. He may have thought about what he deserved to hear, but in that moment God showed him grace. The love for and from God that must have washed over him in that moment.
Elijah learned about fear that day. He learned that the opposite of fear is trust. God gave Him a gentle reminder to not only trust in His power, but also in His plan. Elijah went forward and did as the Lord instructed. Elijah's faith and obedience in the Lord guided him the rest of his life. If you continue reading in 1st Kings, you read that Elisha never died. He was one of two that God drew up into the sky and took from the Earth.
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Discussion Questions
1. How do fear and trust play a role in the story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, missionaries to Ecuador?
2. How do fear and trust play a role in the story of Elijah?
3. Put yourself in the shoes of Elisabeth or Elijiah. How would you have been feeling if in their place? What do you think you would have done?
4. Has there ever been a time in your life when you have had to face a fear? How did you respond?
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Thank you for using this resource. I hope that you have found it helpful as you incorporate Family Worship Time in your home. Please leave a note if this has been helpful to you. I'd love to hear how you implement these in your home.
Thank you!
Rachel
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