Purpose:
To teach students that worry is a waste of time and a lack of faith in God; to help them let go of worry and surrender it to God.
Items Needed:
paper, tape, pencils & helium balloons for each of the students
Description:
Explain how problems, guilt, stress, or other worries can weigh you down, most of which we have little or no control over anyway, so what good does it do to stress ourselves out about it?
Have students name some of the problems associated with stress and worry. Then have them write down something or things they are really worried about. Explain how God makes or allows all things and can lessen or take away all things–including their stress and troubles. Whatever it is, it is not too big for God. Tell them to surrender their problems to God and trust Him to work through their problems.
If you use this for further discussion, ask them how they think God might be able to do that. Then ask why He often chooses to work in their lives actually using their problem or stress instead of *poof* taking it away so we can live a carefree, happy life.
Later have the kids tape their worries to a helium balloon. Pray together about their worries and set them free. Explain that once you give it to God, you must mean it. You mustn’t worry anymore, because worry is wasteful in God's eyes. It's like taking the problem back again, and to take it back is like saying that you are big enough to handle it yourself. Make yourself humble and pray that God will take care of the load.
If you use this for further discussion, ask students what they can do when thoughts of worry and anxiety return. Ask them how they can overcome the temptation to “take it back” again?
Possible Scriptures:
2 Cor. 10:4-5
4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Matthew 6:25-27
25″Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
Phil. 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
