Through Others Too Far Away
Children's sermon
That Seeing, They May Believe
52 Children's Object Lessons
Object:
Obtain six small objects, such as wooden spools, wooden craft beads, or plastic film containers. Tie a piece of string to each object and suspend it from a rod. Arrange the six items on the rod so that they are touching each other. When you
Purpose: To show the affect of our influence upon others.
Lesson: It is usually not too hard to see the way our actions
affect the people who are near to us. We do something nice for
someone, and we see their smile or we hear the words, "thank
you." But what we often forget is that what we say or do affects
not only the people near to us, but also those far away; people
whom we may never see.
This is the way it works, in simple terms: What we do affects
someone else and their reaction affects another person, and so
on. Like the wave made by a stone that is dropped into the water
and spreads out farther and farther; so our words and deeds
spread through others to far away places and people.
We can see how this works with this row of (whatever your
objects may be). See what happens when I pull back the first one
and let it strike the group. The shock of the first hit passes
through the other ones and the last one swings away.
The same thing can happen in life. We do something to some one
and what we do to them -- good or bad -- affects them; and they, in
turn, affect the people who are around them. See how important it
is to be careful about what you say and do. If kindness and
gentle words go forth from your life, you will be an influence
for good in far away places.
Possible Times To Use This Illustration In The Home:
* When your child comes home and is upset by what someone else
has done to them. Your child's unhappiness affects the whole
family.
* When the family together encounters a person who is unhappy and
that person did not treat you in a very pleasant way. This might
happen at the check-out counter in a store.
* When your child thinks his or her attitude does not affect
other people.
Lesson: It is usually not too hard to see the way our actions
affect the people who are near to us. We do something nice for
someone, and we see their smile or we hear the words, "thank
you." But what we often forget is that what we say or do affects
not only the people near to us, but also those far away; people
whom we may never see.
This is the way it works, in simple terms: What we do affects
someone else and their reaction affects another person, and so
on. Like the wave made by a stone that is dropped into the water
and spreads out farther and farther; so our words and deeds
spread through others to far away places and people.
We can see how this works with this row of (whatever your
objects may be). See what happens when I pull back the first one
and let it strike the group. The shock of the first hit passes
through the other ones and the last one swings away.
The same thing can happen in life. We do something to some one
and what we do to them -- good or bad -- affects them; and they, in
turn, affect the people who are around them. See how important it
is to be careful about what you say and do. If kindness and
gentle words go forth from your life, you will be an influence
for good in far away places.
Possible Times To Use This Illustration In The Home:
* When your child comes home and is upset by what someone else
has done to them. Your child's unhappiness affects the whole
family.
* When the family together encounters a person who is unhappy and
that person did not treat you in a very pleasant way. This might
happen at the check-out counter in a store.
* When your child thinks his or her attitude does not affect
other people.
