Have you ever wondered what it might be like to make like a hoodie and take a ride in a washing machine? (Okay, don’t get any crazy ideas…Imaginations only, please!) Do you ever feel like your thoughts are whirling, or your stomach is churning? Or like there’s a nagging thought that’s always with you, poking and jostling, putting a damper on your day?
Life can be like that: we can’t predict what’s going to happen next, and that’s scary! It’s hard not to have anxious thoughts about things that are happening in our families, with our friends, or at work or school. Sometimes, just thinking about what might happen makes us feel like we’ve been rolled and rubbed and spun about!
When He walked this Earth, Jesus had a family and friends too. For many years, He went to school and to work, just as we do. Like countless people around Him who had to work hard to have enough to eat, Jesus may even have wondered where His next pair of sandals was coming from, or whether His family or friends would have enough money to have food for the months ahead.
In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus had a lot to say about worry. How does God take care of the birds and the flowers? We don’t need to worry, He says! Why not?
What do you need today? Is it food, water, clothing? Is it a job, good health, a friend?
Do you know for sure that God will take care of these things you need, or do you often find yourself stirred up in the waters of worry?
Jesus reminds us to focus on God and His HUGE love and concern for us, instead of thinking constantly about the stuff of this world. God is the perfect Father, who thinks the world of us! He promises that if we put His kingdom first—if we find out what’s important to Him, and if those things matter most to us–He will give us all that we need.
Our all-powerful God is in control….So why worry? After all, can you add even one hour to your life by worrying?
Activities:
1. Vortex Prayers: Wish you could see your worries go down the drain?
Fill a 2L pop bottle to the top with water. Swirl the water by moving the bottle in a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion while the water is pouring out. Keep swirling the water until you see the formation of what looks to be a tornado! The water swirls in the shape of a vortex and flows out of the bottle very quickly.
The Bible gives us a clear way to get rid of our worries. Let’s call them vortex prayers!
Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him. Then God’s peace will watch over your hearts and your minds because you belong to Christ Jesus. God’s peace can never be completely understood.
Phil. 4:6-7 (NIrV)
2. Worries Washed Away, Cares Hung Out to Dry: Find some coloured paper, and have each family member cut out a shape that looks like an item of clothing—shorts, a t-shirt, a sock, etc…Ask each person to write or draw on the shape something that has been worrying him or her. Feel free to make more than one item each! (Parents, it’s good for kids to know–minus unnecessary details perhaps–that you worry too!) Talk about and pray together about each of the real-life worries—ask, and give thanks! Now find a piece of string, and tack each end up on a wall or tie the string between two pieces of furniture in a prominent and convenient spot. Expect God to take care of each of your worries, and as you recognize His work in doing so, hang each item of clothing “on the line,” and celebrate His goodness!
This Week’s Challenge:
Check on one another through the week to help each other to live worry-free! Are you all putting God’s kingdom first, or getting stuck trying to be in control? Are you telling God about the things that worry you?