God has a great big, wonderful plan for each child in your ministry and you too, of course! Why not teach them while they are young that each life has a special purpose designed by God. Teach kids this object lesson and you might spark a whole new way of thinking about life. It’s humbling and reassuring to know that you have an “expected end,” isn’t it? Let’s teach kids Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you.” Here’s how I presented this lesson to my children’s ministry.
Jeremiah 29:11 Object Lesson
Supplies: Brown paper parchment, Sharpie marker, string
Prepare: Cut a piece of paper from the roll. You want it to look like a large, treasure map. Now draw an X at the top of the map. Draw many lines or paths to the X. Place some symbols like a broken heart or a tree on the map to represent obstacles. Get as creative as you like but the end result should look like a map of a Christian’s life. Roll it up like a scroll and tie it securely with a string. Place it on a table in your teaching area.
Teach: Did you know that builders can’t build a house without having a plan? That’s right! They have to take their plans to a supervisor to let him check the plans to make sure everything is measured correctly. If you have one wall that is too short, the whole thing can fall down. If you forget to add a door no one can get in! Having a plan is important. You can have a bunch of guys just building what they want–they have to follow the builder’s plan.
Your life is like a beautiful house and God is the builder. He says in the book of Jeremiah that He has a plan for you. Let’s read Jeremiah 29:11 together. Get your Bibles out and let’s turn there now. When you get there, stand up and say, “Hallelujah!” (Wait for everyone to find the verse then read it together.)
(Pick up the map scroll.) Look at this! This is kind of like the plan God makes for each life. Let’s take a peek. (Unroll the scroll.) See the X? That’s where God wants to lead us, to a good place in His perfect plan. See all these different paths? No matter which one we take, God will lead us to the good end He has for us but some paths have obstacles in them. We should trust God to lead our lives right from the beginning. When we do that, we can avoid some snares and traps along the way. God has a plan for you!
Read more from Mimi by following her blog at Tools for Kids Church.
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Great lesson – the kids got really creative & had great fun making their own potential maps of their lives.