Guided into truth
Children's Activity
Object:
In this week's Gospel Lesson we read about Jesus and his desire to reveal himself fully to us. He has so many things he wants to tell us, but our finite minds and hearts are just not able to handle the burden. This causes problems because we cannot see things the way God does. So how are we to know the way to go if we cannot see the way?
See if you can find a book containing pictures of optical illusions. (A classic example of optical illusion is the picture with two vertical curved lines drawn on a page. Look at the picture one way and you may see these lines outlining a vase in the center. Look at this picture another way and you might see the lines outlining two faces in profile facing each other.)
Look through these pictures with your children and discuss what everyone sees. Each person is likely to see something different at first. If you look at the picture long enough you may begin to see other perspectives as well. This is very interesting, but which way is the RIGHT way to look at it?
Fortunately, there is no RIGHT way to view an optical illusion. They are puzzles -- tricks for your eyes and brain. Life, however, is more complicated. Situations in our lives can be interpreted in many different ways, and many times we are forced to decide which interpretation is the correct one. Life is not a game or a puzzle for our mind. Many times we must know how to make the right decision about something.
This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be our helper and guide as we walk through our lives. The Holy Spirit can show us the right way. God has not revealed his infinite mysteries to us, so how can we know right from wrong by ourselves? We must lean on the Holy Spirit to get the guidance we need from him.
See if you can find a book containing pictures of optical illusions. (A classic example of optical illusion is the picture with two vertical curved lines drawn on a page. Look at the picture one way and you may see these lines outlining a vase in the center. Look at this picture another way and you might see the lines outlining two faces in profile facing each other.)
Look through these pictures with your children and discuss what everyone sees. Each person is likely to see something different at first. If you look at the picture long enough you may begin to see other perspectives as well. This is very interesting, but which way is the RIGHT way to look at it?
Fortunately, there is no RIGHT way to view an optical illusion. They are puzzles -- tricks for your eyes and brain. Life, however, is more complicated. Situations in our lives can be interpreted in many different ways, and many times we are forced to decide which interpretation is the correct one. Life is not a game or a puzzle for our mind. Many times we must know how to make the right decision about something.
This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be our helper and guide as we walk through our lives. The Holy Spirit can show us the right way. God has not revealed his infinite mysteries to us, so how can we know right from wrong by ourselves? We must lean on the Holy Spirit to get the guidance we need from him.
