SOMETIMES LIFE IS difficult, and we can feel worried and afraid about many things. God cares about all our worries and fears. He tells us to trust Him with all the things that trouble us (1 Peter 5:7).
Calming Promises
The Bible is filled with verses that can help us trust in God and feel calm again. Look up the verses and choose your favorites. Make a small book by folding plain paper in half and stapling or stitching the pages together along the fold line. Write your favorite calming verses in the book and decorate each page. Make more little promise books
to mail to friends and family far away or to give to people who are going through hard times.
• Deuteronomy 31:6
• Joshua 1:9
• Psalm 23:4
• Psalm 46:10
• Isaiah 40:31
• Isaiah 41:10
• Zephaniah 3:17
• Matthew 11:28-30
• John 14:27
• Romans 8:38, 39
• Philippians 4:6, 7
• 2 Thessalonians 3:16
• 1 Peter 5:7
"In God's Hands" Prayer
piece of paper. Cut out the shape. Then write all your worries and fears on the hand. Pray about the things you have written on the hand and put them all into God’s hands, because He cares for you. Sometimes there is nothing much we can do to make things better. But God is more than able and willing to take care of our problems and
comfort our hearts.
Calming Stories
Ask some of the grown-ups around you how their faith has helped them in tough times. What do they do that calms their heart and reminds them that God is with them? Collect their stories and find a way to share them with others. How did listening to their stories inspire you and help your family to find ways to manage your own tough times?
Have a Hug From God
God loves us so much! He notices every tear we cry, and He knows all about our worries. When you feel sad and anxious, ask your parent to wrap you up in a snug blanket and hold you against their chest. Then ask them to tell you that God loves you and He is giving you a big hug right now. Try to listen or feel for your parent’s heartbeat and know that God’s heart beats with love for you today. Being hugged calms us down and helps us to feel safe again. “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).
Next ask your parent to say a blessing over you, just as Jesus blessed the little children when He was on earth (Luke 18:15- 17). How does it feel to be blessed? What do you think it would have been like to have Jesus bless you? What do you think He would say to bless you if He were with you today? What can you say to bless your parents? There are lots of blessings in the Bible. Search for them at the end of the epistles and scattered throughout the Bible. There is a famous and beautiful blessing in Numbers 6:22-27.
Bird and Flowers
Wherever we live, we can usually find a small flower or bird to inspire us. Read Matthew 6:25- 33. Watch a bird and see how freely it flies and sings, without any worries. Find a flower and look at its simple beauty. See how beautifully God has dressed it. Read the verses again. Talk about the following questions in your family—you’ll all have
different answers, and that’s OK!
• What do you like best about these verses?
• What is the most important message in these verses for you?
• What do these verses tell you about God’s loving care?
• What else can we learn about God’s care for us by looking at the flowers and birds?
• What other things in nature show you that God cares for you?
Care Package
Make a care package to share with someone going through a hard time. Wrap up tiny gifts and treats and write a tag for each item with an encouraging promise on it. Match a verse about being washed whiter than snow with a little soap or shower gel. Wrap something heart-shaped and add a verse about love. Include a blank thank-you card so they can make a list of things they want to thank God for and attach a verse about gratitude. Use a concordance or search on the internet to find Bible verses to match the gifts. Make a label for the package, inviting your friend to open a treat every time they need to feel God’s love. Include a copy of the “Father’s Love Letter” from www.fathersloveletter.com. This letter is based on lots of Bible verses and is available in more than 50 different languages.
Jesus Protects His Friends
Read the story of Jesus calming the storm. You can find the story in Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25. Act out the story with your family. Use a large piece of cloth, such as a sheet or tablecloth. Choose a blue cloth if you have one. For the boat, find an unbreakable toy boat, fold a paper boat, or cut a boat from cardboard. Place the boat in the center of the cloth and ask each person to hold onto the edges of the cloth. Retell the story in your own words. When the storm comes, ripple the cloth as hard as you can to make huge waves that toss the boat around. Then, when Jesus calms the storm, pull the cloth out as flat as possible to make the “water” still again. How does Jesus calm the storms in your life?
God Cares For Your Family
Find a large gift bag or cover a box with paper like a present. Use sticky notes or stick squares of colored paper onto the bag or box with glue/ paste/tape. On each sticky note or piece of paper write one way in which God has taken care of your family during the past week. Remember, these are just the ways you’ve noticed. He has done far more to care for you than you’ll ever know! Let the youngest person in the family hold the box as you pray and thank God for caring for each of you.
A House Full of Promises
When your family is going through a hard time, or even when they aren’t, you can fill your home with promises from God. Choose some Bible promises that encourage your
family, write them out neatly, and decorate them. Then place them in the kitchen, by the front door, in the bedrooms, in the bathroom, and maybe even in the car! These will
remind you of God’s loving care and protection many times a day. Here are some suggestions:
• Kitchen/eating area—Matthew 6:25, 26
• Lounge/living room—Numbers 6:24-26
• Bathroom—Psalm 51:7
• Bedroom—Psalm 4:8
• Front door—Luke 10:5
• Car/garage—Deuteronomy 31:6
What other verses can you find that suit the rooms and places in your home?