How can you “impress” on your children a trust in God? Here is a devotion you can do as a family. The very young, and even teens, will have some fun with this activity and discussion on trusting God with everything! (Print the devotion here.)
Topic: Trusting God.
Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6
DIVE IN:
Free Falling
Your children can take turns participating in this activity. Have one at a time stand on something (a chair, bed, etc.) off the ground (waist level works best). You can decide on the height, but you want to make it somewhat challenging. You could even blindfold them.
Have them cross their arms to grab their shoulders. Mom, dad and other family members can get behind them and lock arms together so the one falling can fall straight back into their arms. You could even put a mattress underneath for added protection. Instruct the faller to stay straight and stiff like a board and fall into the safety net of their family’s arms.
Have each child do this. If you don’t have enough family members to catch the faller, you could do this with another family or as an alternative you could blindfold each child and take them by the hand (or by verbal directions) on a tour of their surroundings.
After everyone is done, talk about it. You can ask:
- Was it hard to do?
- Why? [Intentionally falling is not something we naturally do; it goes against all logic.]
- Why was it hard to trust, even your family/parents?
- What does it mean to trust?
DIVE DEEP:
Read (or have one child read) Proverbs 3:5-6 from a Bible. (It’s important to read it from a Bible. We want our kids to become familiar with reading their Bible.)
Ask:
- What does it mean to trust God? Is it the same as “believing” in Him? (Letting Him guide and lead us, obeying Him even when we don’t feel like it.)
- When can it be hard to trust God?
- How does God know we really trust Him? (Through listening and obeying Him.)
- How do we learn to trust God more? (By reading the Bible; by trusting Him in the little things. Then we realize He is trustworthy and it will become easier to trust Him with bigger things, etc.)
- What are benefits of trusting God?
DIVE UP:
- How do we completely trust God as a family?
- Is there something going on right now which is stretching us to completely trust God?
- In what area are you (each family member) having difficulty trusting God?
Written by Jonathan
Rev. Jonathan Cronkhite has been serving youth and families in full time
ministry for the last 23 years. With the heart of a pastor, he encourages and equips families to have Homes Devoted, through conferences, workshops, coaching and writing. Married to Carrie for 22 years, they have 5 children, run a home school co-op, drama club and invite 50 people over once a month for airsoft battles.
