Luke 7:36-50, NIRV
This month is all about forgiveness, deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn’t have to pay. That’s way easier to say than it is to do! When someone hurts us, we want to get even. There’s only one problem: everyone needs forgiveness, including you. No one is perfect. We all mess up and do things that hurt others and ourselves.
When we are honest about how we’ve messed up, Jesus will forgive us. He covers our sins or mess ups. He takes them away. Everyone needs forgiveness and thankfully, God’s forgiveness comes in an unlimited supply.
Wipe the Slate Clean
Grab a dry erase marker and find a mirror where you live. Do you need forgiveness? Draw a picture or write down what you’ve done on the mirror. Be honest, tell God about what happened, and ask for forgiveness. Use a tissue to wipe the “slate” (mirror) clean.
With an adult’s permission, head outside and find a patch of dirt. Take a moment to dig around in it. What do you see? Maybe you see new sprouts of life starting to grow—like some grass or even a flower or two! It’s amazing to think that God creates such beautiful plants and flowers from seeds in the dirt. Every spring, God creates new life all around us.
God does the same thing in our life too! Because of Jesus, God gives us new life! Even though we might mess up, God makes something beautiful out of our lives. God’s love for us is amazing!
Remember all that dirt yesterday? Take out a sheet of paper and something to draw with, like
crayons or markers. Take a moment to draw a scene from a garden: dirt, flowers, sunshine, and sky! Make it super colorful and full of life!
Above your drawing write the phrase: “I am a new creation!” Hang up your drawing somewhere you’ll see it before you head out for school each morning.
Because of Jesus, we can be new creations! God’s forgiveness is so great! All we need to do is ask, and God will forgive us! When we remember that we’re a new creation because of Jesus, it completely changes how we see the world around us. We can trust that God will help us make the wise choice and live like Jesus!
Measure Up
Grab a ruler or tape measure and five random objects from around the house. On a piece of paper, write down how tall you think each item is. Then measure the items to see if your guess was correct. Do you know how tall you are? If not, ask an adult to measure you. How many of these items would it take to measure up to you?
Today’s verse reminds us that no matter how “good” we are, no matter how hard we try to do the right thing, we can never measure up to God’s goodness. And it’s not just you that doesn’t measure up. Everyone doesn’t measure up.
Everyone includes every single person. We all need forgiveness. That’s why God sent Jesus. Jesus made a way for all to be forgiven. On the counter in your kitchen, stack the items on top of each other as best you can. As you pass them this week, be reminded that we don’t have to measure up to be forgiven.
As your kid starts their day, tell them how much you admire their compassion for others, and give them an example of a time recently when they were kind or thoughtful. (You may have many examples to choose from or just one.)
At a meal, have everyone at the table answer this question: “Talk about a time when you did something that hurt someone and you needed forgiveness. How did the other person react?”
While on the go, ask your kid: “What is the nicest thing someone has done for you recently? What is something not so nice that someone has said or done to you or someone else recently? How did each make you feel?”
Pray for each other: “God, none of us are perfect. As much as we try to say or do the right thing, sometimes we don’t. And we either hurt ourselves or someone else. When we do, give us the courage and compassion to seek forgiveness.”