Hello! Here is a next sesion in the series - "When I Feel...". This one will focus on when we feel sad. Right now there is a lot of sadness happening. In my neck of the woods, school has been cancelled for the rest of the school year due to Covid-19. So many end of year celebrations are not happening. So one of the overwhelming feelings going on right now is sadness.
It is easy for us to forget that our kids haven't developed the tools to deal with those feelings. Addressing it and giving them a chance to talk about it, will help you understand what is going on in their head and how you might be able to support them through their feelings.
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Memory Verse
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
Memory verse
"The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18
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Songs
For Kids:
For the Family:
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Illustration
One of the lessons that can be learned from the movie "Inside Out" is that "sadness is vital to our well-being." Early in the film, Joy admits that she doesn’t understand what Sadness is for or why it’s in Riley’s head. She’s not alone. At one time or another, many of us have probably wondered what purpose sadness serves in our lives.
That’s why the two of us love that Sadness rather than Joy emerges as the hero of the movie. Why? Because Sadness connects deeply with people—a critical component of happiness—and helps Riley do the same. For example, when Riley’s long-forgotten imaginary friend Bing Bong feels dejected after the loss of his wagon, it is Sadness’s empathic understanding that helps him recover, not Joy’s attempt to put a positive spin on his loss. (Interestingly, this scene illustrates an important finding from research on happiness, namely that expressions of happiness must be appropriate to the situation.)
In one the film’s greatest revelations, Joy looks back on one of Riley’s “core memories”—when the girl missed a shot in an important hockey game—and realizes that the sadness Riley felt afterwards elicited compassion from her parents and friends, making her feel closer to them and transforming this potentially awful memory into one imbued with deep meaning and significance for her.
With great sensitivity, Inside Out shows how tough emotions like sadness, fear, and anger, can be extremely uncomfortable for people to experience—which is why many of us go to great lengths to avoid them. But in the film, as in real life, all of these emotions serve an important purpose by providing insight into our inner and outer environments in ways that can help us connect with others, avoid danger, or recover from loss.
Retrieved from: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/four_lessons_from_inside_out_to_discuss_with_kids
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Read - Jonn 11:1-37
The shortest verse in the Bible is "Jesus wept." Jesus weeps while trying to comfort his friends Mary and Martha who are grieving the death of their brother Lazarus. Jesus was out of town when he hears of Lazarus' illness. Instead of going immediately to Lazarus' side, Jesus continues with his plan a couple of days. Jesus tells his disciples that the illness is going to be for God's glory.
When Jesus finally arrives, Lazarus is dead. Mary and Martha in their grief over their brother are very upset with Jesus. They know that Lazarus would not be dead if Jesus had come sooner. In watching the grief of his friends, Jesus begins to cry. Jesus felt the pain of his close friends and had empathy for them. He was feeling their grief and sense of loss.
There are a couple of things we can take away from this story of Mary, Martha, Lazarus and Jesus. First, isn't it great that we can worship a God who feels the same pain, sorrow and feelings that we do? He knows and He feels it along with us. We can go to Him with our feelings because He understands!
Second, it is okay to vent! He wants us to be real with Him. Mary and Martha knew Him and knew He was the Son of God. They got to see Him, touch Him, talk to Him, watch Him do the most amazing things! Yet in their darkest hour, they cried out and blamed Him. In response, He weeps along with them, feeling their pain.
Why does God let us go through sadness? The insight from the movie Inside Out above, "...all of these emotions serve an important purpose by providing insight into our inner and outer environments in ways that can help us connect with others, avoid danger, or recover from loss", is something that can be applied using biblical principles as well.
God allows us to go through difficult times, experiencing sadness sometimes for purposes we don't fully know or understand, as in the situation with Mary and Martha. They didn't know why, but Jesus knew that it was going to be for the glory of God. Whether it be for some purpose outside of our knowledge, for us to later be able to empathize with others, or for our own growing and refinement. Whatever the reason, we can know that God doesn't intend anything other than for our good. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."
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Discussion Questions
1. What are some reasons God might allow us to experience sadness?
2. Describe a time you were sad. How did you deal with your sadness?
3. How might you help someone else out who you see is sad?
4.
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Family Prayer Time
As you go to prayer, thank the Lord for understanding your feelings. Thank Him for how He walks with you through the ups and the downs. Thank Him for letting you express your feelings, even when it's raw and real. Thank Him for His love and grace that He so freely gives you.
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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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