Kids need to know that God can see what our hearts look like and our lives. In our culture, there’s a lot of emphasis placed on what we look like but that’s now how God operates and we shouldn’t either. Proverbs 27:19 says, “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” It’s not our reflection that displays the contents of our heart but how we live. Let’s get kids interested in living a life that’s pleasing to God rather than putting on a nice face for everyone to look at. Let’s get them interested in the long view of living a godly life.
Here’s a neat object lesson that should help you do that! You will need the following.
- Aluminum foil
- Oval or rectangular piece of cardboard
Before class, spread the foil over the cardboard so that it looks like a mirror. Do your best to keep it smooth and dent-free. Say, “Before I leave the house every day, I look in the mirror. I make sure that my hair looks normal, that my teeth have been brushed and that I don’t look crazy. Who else looks in the mirror every day?” Read the verse together and talk about what it means.
“That’s great! Mirrors are handy to have around because they show you what you look like. However, mirrors don’t show what’s inside, do they? Back in the old times, some people couldn’t afford mirrors, they had to go to the lake and look in the water to know what they looked like. That’s why this verse talks about the waters reflecting the face. That’s pretty interesting. But what’s more interesting is how the Bible says we should reflect our lives. The mirror can’t tell you how deep you love, how good you are or even if you are saved. It only shows you what it sees, the outside. Take a look at my homemade mirror.”
Hold up the mirror and show the kids their reflection. “That’s pretty neat huh? I made this with aluminum foil but even aluminum foil only shows you the outside.”
Remove the foil, crumple it up and then smooth it back out. Cover the cardboard again and invite kids to look again. “Look into the mirror now. It’s all crumpled. Does that mean you look crumpled? No! Of course not! A mirror is just an instrument, something we use to see our outside. God sees the inside and the outside and He says that it is our lives, how we live that makes the best reflection of who we truly are. That’s what I want! What about you?
Read more from Mimi by following her blog at Tools for Kids Church.