You will need:
- A Blindfold
- Two drinks or food items that you know your child likes. One drink or food item that you figure your child will dislike.
- Your Bible marked at Philippians 4:4.
Get Started
Send your children to another room while you find three drinks or food items, two that you know they like and at least one that you figure they won’t like. For example, you might use chocolate milk, Pepsi, and prune or pickle juice. Then blindfold your children and bring them in one at a time to be a “Taste Tester.” Ask them to identify each drink. Give them the item they won’t like last.
ASK—Did you get what you expected?
SAY—Sometimes in life we get what we expect, sometimes we don’t. Bad things can even happen to good people, but listen to what the Bible says about what we should do when bad things happen.
Read Philippians 4:4 from your Bible.
ASK—When “bad” things happen, what can you do? (Make the choice to rejoice.)
ASK–Why do you think you can always rejoice? (Because God is faithful. He’ll never let you down. He’ll always keep His Word. You can trust Him, etc.)
ASK—What are some things our family can rejoice about? (Don’t just list good things. Also list things that they might consider to be “bad.” For example, we can rejoice even though daddy lost his job. Why? Because we trust God and we know He won’t let us down…In 1 Thess. 5:17 the Bible says to “Give thanks in everything…”)
ASK—What does rejoicing have to do with Christmas?
SAY—On the night that Jesus was born, the angels told the shepherds about the baby Jesus. They hurried to go see Him and when they left the Bible says that they went away “glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). When people meet Jesus and put their faith in Him, they can rejoice always, no matter what, because God is real, because He loves you and me, and because God sent His Son to be the Savior of the World.
PRAY—And thank God that no matter what happens in our lives, we can always rejoice if we know and follow Jesus Christ.
NOTE: If your children want a further answer about why they can rejoice in the middle of difficult times, explain that sometimes we do wrong things and these bad choices bring “bad” things into our lives. But sometimes we do everything right and someone else does something wrong and we get hurt because of it. Even so, there’s nothing your children will ever do that is so bad that God can’t forgive them and there’s nothing so bad that can happen to them that God can’t turn it around to their good if they love Him and are walking with Him. (See Romans 8:28 for a great promise.)