Yesterday we had our Little Gems Club. We have 4 girls now on a regular basis, and I love those girls! They all came in and gave me a big hug (one of them even gave me a kiss on the cheek and kept telling me she loved me!). Since it's nearly Christmas, I got out the fancy glass dishes and punch cups, and made little sandwiches to have with fruit and pretzels. They ate every scrap, and kept thanking me for being so nice to them, and for feeding them! I think I've taken for granted the basic kindness of my mother and siblings and many other people in my life over the years. When I see what an impact just a little kindness and effort and thinking ahead does for these girls, it makes me very thankful for all the kind people the Lord has allowed in my life over the years.
So, after we ate and while one gal was doing homework, one of the other girls, who's been to our house on a number of occasions in the past, asked if she could get out the American Girl dolls and clothes from the basement. I said they could, and they proceeded to sit down and play dolls. They were having a great time, talking and laughing together. When it was time for our Bible time, the Lord prompted me to let them continue to play with their dolls while I taught the lesson and asked questions. I told them that if they played quietly and could answer questions throughout our time, then they could continue to play with the dolls. That worked out wonderfully, and they answered all the questions I put to them. We talked about God's Justice, Mercy and Grace that motivated His killing the animal to make clothing to cover their nakedness and allow them to once again be able to talk with God. We also talked about how God can't go against His own words or commands - that He cannot lie, that we can always trust Him to keep His word. We also talked about Psalm 89:14, "Righteousness and justice are the pillars of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants." I then asked them to think of some occupations that we have today that are based on the curse, and which ones won't be in heaven. They said, "firemen, doctors, policemen, pharmacists and nurses". We talked about how sin has tainted everything about our lives. This then led into God's having to banish Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, just like He had to banish Lucifer from heaven. A Holy God, one whose very nature is sinless, cannot abide to be in the presence of sin. At this point, one little girl jumped up and ran to her book bag (we were all asking her what she was doing, but she just kept digging around). Finally she produced a piece of paper which she proudly read to us: "Banish - To force to leave". Isn't it wonderful, the way the Lord is sovereign even over what vocabulary words these girls had this week?!
When we were all finished, I went around the room and asked each girl to tell me one thing they learned about God from the lesson, and they all remembered one thing that we talked about. Then, one of the little girls, the one who usually sits and makes fun, asked if she could do a doll skit about God. I asked her if she was planning on making fun or laughing at God and she said, "No", so I let her do her skit. It ended up being quite a window into her soul - she repeated back some things I'd said earlier, and said, "I get to go next door every week and learn about God." All the girls got into the skit, and it was like they had a voice and felt safe saying things through their dolls.
So, the dolls definitely stay, and I'm praising God for such little things to help keep their attention and get the truths of God into their tender hearts.
So, after we ate and while one gal was doing homework, one of the other girls, who's been to our house on a number of occasions in the past, asked if she could get out the American Girl dolls and clothes from the basement. I said they could, and they proceeded to sit down and play dolls. They were having a great time, talking and laughing together. When it was time for our Bible time, the Lord prompted me to let them continue to play with their dolls while I taught the lesson and asked questions. I told them that if they played quietly and could answer questions throughout our time, then they could continue to play with the dolls. That worked out wonderfully, and they answered all the questions I put to them. We talked about God's Justice, Mercy and Grace that motivated His killing the animal to make clothing to cover their nakedness and allow them to once again be able to talk with God. We also talked about how God can't go against His own words or commands - that He cannot lie, that we can always trust Him to keep His word. We also talked about Psalm 89:14, "Righteousness and justice are the pillars of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants." I then asked them to think of some occupations that we have today that are based on the curse, and which ones won't be in heaven. They said, "firemen, doctors, policemen, pharmacists and nurses". We talked about how sin has tainted everything about our lives. This then led into God's having to banish Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, just like He had to banish Lucifer from heaven. A Holy God, one whose very nature is sinless, cannot abide to be in the presence of sin. At this point, one little girl jumped up and ran to her book bag (we were all asking her what she was doing, but she just kept digging around). Finally she produced a piece of paper which she proudly read to us: "Banish - To force to leave". Isn't it wonderful, the way the Lord is sovereign even over what vocabulary words these girls had this week?!
When we were all finished, I went around the room and asked each girl to tell me one thing they learned about God from the lesson, and they all remembered one thing that we talked about. Then, one of the little girls, the one who usually sits and makes fun, asked if she could do a doll skit about God. I asked her if she was planning on making fun or laughing at God and she said, "No", so I let her do her skit. It ended up being quite a window into her soul - she repeated back some things I'd said earlier, and said, "I get to go next door every week and learn about God." All the girls got into the skit, and it was like they had a voice and felt safe saying things through their dolls.
So, the dolls definitely stay, and I'm praising God for such little things to help keep their attention and get the truths of God into their tender hearts.
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