| WORRY MONSTER By Missy Smith When I was little, I used to be scared of monsters under my bed. I know now that sounds so silly because there really weren’t any monsters. But when I was little you could not convince me otherwise. I would worry and worry about those silly monsters so much that my parents would have to turn on a little light in my room every night. When the light was on, I could see just enough to not be scared. You know sometimes in our lives we get scared of things that seem like they are a really big deal but in all reality, they are not anything we need to be afraid of. We need to turn the light of Jesus on our “worry monsters” and remind ourselves that HE is taking care of us. Jesus talked about worry and often told us that we did not need to worry because He is taking care of us. Listen to this Bible story from Matthew 6:25-34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG1LjFO99dA Jesus reminds us that He is taking care of the birds, the flowers and they do not worry about where they will live or what they will eat because they know they will be taken care of. In the same way we do not have to worry because Jesus cares for us and will provide just what we need and just when we need it. In the days that we are in isolation and we begin to worry let’s take our worries to God and trust him to handle them all. Memory Verse: Psalm 34:4–5, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” Prayer: Lord, remind us daily that you are taking care of all of our needs. Thank you for shinning light on our worries. In Jesus name, Amen. Boredom Buster: “Monster Box.” Parts of this idea shared with permission from Chad Thomas Johnston. The world is fighting a little monster that is difficult to control or overcome, so we are going to help fight our worries by feeding our worry monster box so that we don’t have to think about those worries anymore. Use a shoebox or cereal box and decorate it, leaving an opening at the top. Decorate your box like a monster and give it a name. Next on 2 x 2 small pieces of paper draw a picture of the things that you are worried about. When you are done drawing, you drop it in the mouthof the monster on the box featured here, thereby putting at least one littlemonster in its proper place for the day. A little control goes a long way, hopefully! Then, name each of your drawings of little things that are bothering you each day that you are in isolation….Such as: friends, family, fear, patience, sadness, missing friends, boredom, ect….. Then pray for God to help you with the little monsters you are facing during this time and once they are in thier box don’t worry about them again. Do not open the box or look at any of the drawings until this crisis is in the rear-view mirror. When that day arrives, assemble all of the tiny pieces of paper into a mosaic of sorts in remembrance of these super strange days and celebrate how God brought you through them all. |