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Dealing with Disappointment

Unit 1 / Lesson 6

Dealing with Disappointment

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Teacher's Prep

  • Games

    • Raffle

      • You will need:

        • Raffle tickets

        • A container from which to draw raffle numbers.

        • Two prizes, such as mini chocolate bars or small toys that children generally enjoy (bouncy ball, sticky hand, etc.)

    • Blind Man's Bluff

      • Get a pool noodle, and something to use as a blindfold.

  • Lecture Portion of Point 2

    • The lecture portion is longer and more complex than usual. You will want to give the children some help as they listen. Visuals and props would be great, and it would also help if you rehearse that lecture portion a few times.

  • Main Activity (Hot Chocolate and Games Tree Decorating)

    • Prepare materials for hot chocolate (you may want to make the hot chocolate fancy, e.g. with marshmallows, candy canes, or a dark chocolate option)

    • Prepare materials for tree decorating if you are decorating trees

    • Prepare materials for games if you are playing them


    Intro

    SLIDE 1

  • Gathering

    • How was your week?

  • Intro Activity: Raffle

    SLIDE 2

    • Instructions

      • Teacher: distribute raffle tickets so that all the children receive one ticket. Note, tickets typically come in two halves with matching numbers. You’ll need to keep one half so that you have matching numbers with everyone. Put the matching tickets into a container so that you can draw from it.

      • We'll start this lesson with a raffle. Do you know what a raffle is? You all get a ticket, and each ticket has a different number. I’ll read out the winning number and one of you will win a prize. Follow along with me and see if you have the winning number.

      • Teacher: read out raffle ticket numbers, one digit at a time, taking a dramatic pause for the last two digits, as the last two digits should be different for every child.

      • Let’s do this again! I have another prize, so I’ll read out another number.

      • Teacher: read out the second raffle number the same way, and give out the second prize.

    • Debrief

    SLIDE 3

    • We started with a raffle because it helps us understand the idea of disappointment. For the first few numbers of the raffle, we were all doing great! Then in the end, for most of us, things didn't work out the way we wanted.

    • Now in our game, the prize was pretty small, so maybe you were just a little disappointed. But if the prize was really big, maybe it would feel really disappointing.

  • Relevance

    SLIDE 4

    • Disappointment is a part of all of our lives, but the Bible teaches us something we can do when we are disappointed.

  • Big Idea

    SLIDE 5

    • Our big idea today is, there are two things we can do when we are disappointed:

      • 1. We can remember God's promise, and

      • 2. We can wait for God to keep His promise.

    • If we do these things, we won’t ever have to be too disappointed.

  • Bible Reference

    SLIDE 6


    Point 1

    SLIDE 7

  • Our first point is, when we are disappointed, we can remember God's promise.

  • Game: Group Charades

    SLIDE 8

    • Instructions

      • Last week, we played Charades. In the game of Charades, one person stands up front and acts out their word while everyone else guesses.

      • Today we will be playing group charades! Here are the rules. You'll all have the same word which you will all act out as a team. For example if the word is "train", we will all get in a line and link up, and we'll be one train together.

      • We'll act out one thing together, and then we'll take pictures, and maybe afterwards we can ask someone else at church if they can guess the word.

      • Teacher: Below are some objects to act together. 

        • Note: you can use props if you like, and you don't have to do all of these words. Take pictures when they have finished each object.

        • Train

        • Forest

        • Car

        • Helicopter

        • Cloud

        • Flower

    • Debrief

      • Let's all sit back in a circle

    SLIDE 9

    • We played this game because it reminds us that some things can't be done alone. You can't be a train by yourself, or a forest. You need other people. It's also more fun if you are acting with other people and you're all part of something bigger.

    • This game helps us to understand our Bible story.

    • In our Bible story, Abram didn't want to be by himself. He wanted children, and he wanted a family.

  • Bible Reference

    SLIDE 10

    • Let's read from the Bible.

    • Genesis 15:1-6 (CEV)

      • 1 Later the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision, “Abram, don't be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly.”

      • 2 But Abram answered, “Lord All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own. 3 You have not given me any children, and this servant of mine will inherit everything.”

    SLIDE 11

    • 4 The Lord replied, “No, he won't! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his.” 5  Then the Lord took Abram outside and said, “Look at the sky and see if you can count the stars. That's how many descendants you will have.” 6  Abram believed the Lord, so the Lord was pleased with him and accepted him.

  • Explanation

    • If you remember from last week, God made Abram a promise to bless him and to bless others through him.

    • Abram left the nice city where he lived, and he lived in the middle of nowhere, where it was hard to find water, because that's where God wanted him to go.

    • Life was hard. God had promised to bless him, but Abram didn't have children because he and his wife couldn’t have children.

    SLIDE 12

    • So, he talked to God about it, and God promised him that he would have children, and his family would eventually be so big they would be like the stars in the sky.

    • The Bible tells us Abram believed God. He didn't have any children yet, but God had told him he would, so Abram knew it was going to happen. God loved his attitude.

  • Application

    • We can learn from Abram because God has made us promises as well.

    SLIDE 13

    • God has promised to take care of us when we do His work. He has promised that even when bad times happen, He will always be working for our good so that nothing truly bad can ever happen to us. Whatever we give to Him, He will eventually give it back and it will be better. If we follow Him even when it’s hard, He will give us a kingdom that lasts forever, and we will rule with Him.

    • These are amazing promises. When we remember His promise and trust Him, that's the attitude that God loves.

  • Discussion Question

    SLIDE 14

    • What is something that God has promised you?


    Point 2

    SLIDE 15

  • Our second point is, when we are disappointed, we can wait for God to keep His promise.

  • Game: Blind Man's Bluff (variation with a pool noodle)

    SLIDE 16

    • Instructions

      • We'll start this point with a game! It's called Blind Man's Bluff

      • It's like tag, except if you’re “it” you are blindfolded. One person is “it,” and everyone else has to stay in the room and try to not get tagged.

      • It’s pretty hard being the blindfolded person, so you’ll only have to keep your blindfold on for one minute. You can take it off after that minute if you want and we can give someone else a try. Also, we’ll give you a pool noodle to help you tag people. If you can tag someone with the pool noodle you win.

      • Teacher: seeing that this game is difficult, you will probably want the first “it” people to be an dult helpers, or older students. Eventually, you will want to offer everyone a turn being “it.” Be sure to set a timer for one minute, and ask if the person who is “it” wants to be done after that minute.

    • Debrief

    SLIDE 17

    • Let’s get back in a circle.

    • We played this game because when you're “it,” you can't see, and it can feel really difficult. It really helps to know that after a minute, you will be able to see again. You’re not going to be blind forever.

    • That's what it's like being a Christian. Sometimes we have to wait. In our Bible story, Abram had to wait.

  • Bible Reference

    SLIDE 18

    SLIDE 19

    • Genesis 15:7-17 (CEV)

      • 7 The Lord said to Abram, “I brought you here from Ur in Chaldea, and I gave you this land.”

        8 Abram asked, “Lord God, how can I know the land will be mine?”

        9 Then the Lord told him, “Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young pigeon.”

    SLIDE 20

    • 10 Abram obeyed the Lord. Then he cut the animals in half and laid the two halves of each animal opposite each other on the ground. But he did not cut the doves and pigeons in half. 11 And when birds came down to eat the animals, Abram chased them away.

    SLIDE 21

  • 12  As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and everything became dark and frightening. 13-15  Then the Lord said:

    Abram, you will live to an old age and die in peace.

    But I solemnly promise that your descendants will live as foreigners in a land that doesn't belong to them. They will be forced into slavery and abused for 400 years. But I will terribly punish the nation that enslaves them, and they will leave with many possessions.

  • SLIDE 22

    • 16 Four generations later, your descendants will return here and take this land, because only then will the people who live here be so sinful that they deserve to be punished.

      17 Sometime after sunset, when it was very dark, a smoking cooking pot and a flaming fire passed between the two halves of each animal. 

  • Explanation

    • Like it was explained in the video, the people back then had a way of making important deals. 

    • When two people had to make a super important deal, they would get together, cut up a bunch of animals, and walk through the path made by the dead animals. 

    • It would help them remember that if they didn’t keep their promise, someone would kill them, and they would be like the dead animals.

    • God told Abram to prepare the animals. Abram did, but God didn’t show up.

    • Abram waited for so long for God that he fell asleep. While he was asleep, he had a dream. 

    SLIDE 23

    • There are two kinds of dreams in the Bible. There's the normal kind of dream that all of us have. Then there's the special kind of dream that’s a message from God. If that dream ever happens, you’ll know for sure that it’s a special dream from God. Abram had one of those special dreams. 

    • In his dream, there was a terrible darkness, and God told Abram what would happen in the future. Abram's family would have to wait a long long time. They would go through very difficult times, and it would feel very dark and it would be scary. But God had made them a promise and He would keep it. God walked through the pieces of the dead animals. It was God's way of saying He would keep His promise no matter what, even if it killed Him.

    SLIDE 24

    • As it turns out, there was a reason why God kept Abram waiting until he fell asleep. It was because Abram would tell this story to his children, and this story would be passed on to all of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They would all know that Abram had to wait for a very long time, and things felt very dark. Since they were children of Abram they would have to do the same thing as him. They would have to wait for a long time, and it would feel really dark for them. But they had to remember that God had made them a promise, and He would keep His promise.

  • Application

    SLIDE 25

    • The Bible tells us we are children of Abram too, if we are Christians. Sometimes God makes us wait for a really long time, but we can remember that God has a good reason to keep us waiting. Maybe He will use our story to help a lot of other people. Eventually He will give us what He promised, and all of our waiting will be worth it.


    Conclusion

    SLIDE 26

  • Let's wrap up our lesson by going over the big ideas again.

  • Our lesson helps us to know what to do when we are disappointed.

    • 1 We can remember God's promise, and

    • 2. We can wait for God to keep his promise.

  • If we do these things we will never need to be too disappointed. 


    Main Activity: Hot Chocolate and Games/Tree Decorating

    SLIDE 27

  • Classes doing this lesson around Christmas time:

    • We'll end with hot chocolate and tree decorating! It's Christmas season and the hot chocolate and tree decorating help us to remember the Christmas story. 

    • The Christmas story is about God keeping a promise. God had promised His people a Savior to rescue them. His people had to wait a long time for Jesus, but it was worth the wait.

    • When we celebrate Christmas we can remember that God makes promises, and He keeps His promises.

  • Classes NOT doing this lesson around Christmas time:

    • We'll end with hot chocolate and some games!

    • Hot chocolate and games help us to feel good and not so stressed. We can thank God for these things, enjoy them, and even get stronger. If we do that, we will be better at waiting for God to keep His promises.

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