Not so Trivial Pursuit… Everything Matters to God

 
Are there things that are more or less important in Heaven’s eyes? Sometimes we think certain elements of life are not significant or don’t really make a difference. “Trivia” might seem to be unimportant details. But God has a plan in all things. No matter what, He is in control and has a plan. This lesson takes a peek at how every element of our lives ultimately fulfills the will of God.
Lesson focus: Every life and event has a point and purpose. God has a design in all things, and if we are willing to trust and obey His word we can know that we are in His will.
Passage: Matthew 10:29-32; 1 Peter 5:7; Ecclesiastes 3, Colossians 3:17
Target Audience: Pre-k through fifth grade (adaptable)
Materials Needed: Random trivia facts,
Lesson Opening: This is…Jeopardy! Start off with some trivia information. Depending on your audience and how much time you have, you may want to create a fun miniature game of trivia with brain bending factoids. Or you might just read off a few fun facts and random bits and pieces of fun information. Make them interesting, unique, and probably unknown.
Discuss with children the meaning of the word “trivial” and what kinds of things we might consider trivial. The dictionary describes the word trivial as something “of very little importance or value; insignificant”. So, we might consider the inventor of thermal underwear as less significant than Thomas Edison. But let’s thing about this in light of our lives…are there things in our lives that don’t really matter? Or is God in all things?
Bible Lesson:
Obviously, some parts of our lives seem more important than others, and certain memorable things overshadow others. But God has a plan, and everything that happens is part of His plan. Some “trivial” sounding facts actually wind up being highly important to the overall scope of history. Well, some things in our lives seem unimportant. But God cares about each and every one of us. Jesus describes God’s love for us…
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.^[b]30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
³² “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.
-Matthew 10:29-32
This passage tells us that God knows every tiny detail about us. We probably don’t know how many hairs are on our own heads, but God knows!  It also mentions here that God cares about the birds, and if he cares about them (and plants and even bugs), then surely he cares about us too. He has made a schedule and plan for everything. And…
 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet^[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.  Ecclesiastes 3:11-17
We certainly cannot know or comprehend what God has planned for us. But we know there is a time for everything, and that God does not make mistakes. Even tiny “trivia” type details in history often have tremendous impact on the rest of the world. This could of course delve into that whole crazy butterfly effect theory thing, but the key element to note is that our lives are significant, and what we do is significant. Sometimes we don’t know how…and this doesn’t mean that choosing vanilla over caramel will somehow impact the status of world conflict…but we know that the attitude of our hearts makes a difference. Whether we are eating, drinking, working, or playing, we want to do it for God and through God. That is what ultimately makes the difference and guarantees our actions will matter.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  -Colossians 3:17
So God will take care of us, and we can rest assured that our lives and their details will be important when we seek His kingdom first and foremost. We also know that we can trust God no matter what.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  -1 Peter 5:7

Craft:
Create a bird craft to remember that God cares for us, just like the sparrows. There are multitudes of possibilities here…you may want to make a bird paper bag puppet. Or you could cut out “sparrows” and decorate to hang up. You could even make a bird feeder to place outside. Have fun with it, and attach the verse (Matthew 10:29-31) to remember what it stands for.
Close with prayer and thank God for caring for us. Ask for help in seeking Him and understanding how our actions make a difference.