SPLINK for Week of April 1st

SPLINK for April 1st - April 7th

1

What is Compassion?

If your kids are old enough, interview 10 people and ask:
When you are sad, what makes you feel better?

Discuss the answers.

Read the story of Jesus showing compassion by raising a widow's son to life. (Luke 7:11-17)

Ask:
What is compassion? (Compassion means feeling sad for someone, but acting on the feeling by doing something to help. There are two parts to compassion—noticing and feeling the suffering of another person AND doing something to ease that suffering.)

How did Jesus and even the other people show compassion to the widow? (Jesus noticed her; He spoke kind words to her; He comforted her; He raised her son from the dead; the other people walked with her and even wept with her)

2

A Blues Bandaid 

 

Items needed: slips of paper

Pencils

Bag to put paper slips in

Ask each family member to write on a slip of paper one situation where something bad has happened (anything—from crashing a bike to losing a favorite toy).

Put the slips in a bag and take turns choosing one. After each situation, ask:

How could you show compassion?

Compassion is noticing someone else's suffering and doing something about it.

3

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

Put everyone's shoes in a pile in the middle of the room.  At a signal to go, ask everyone to grab a pair of shoes (not their own), put them on and, be the first to walk to a designated spot.

Ask:

Have you ever heard the saying, "Walk a mile in my shoes"?

What does it mean? (It means not to criticize someone until you have walked or lived in their situation; we don't know how someone feels if we haven't been in their circumstance.)

People need compassion, not criticism. We can't always know how or what they feel, but we can show them kindness and try to help them.

On the journey with you,

Pastor Beau