Use what you have to help others

​Hi Reign Forest Friends,
 
For the month of February, the BIG IDEA is COMPASSION: CARING ENOUGH TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE’S NEEDS.
 
God’s compassion for us led to the greatest act of love the world had ever seen. God sent Jesus to rescue us. We reflect God’s compassion when we care about others and work to make things right.
 
This familiar story is found in John 6:1-13. People had been clamoring to see Jesus heal and perform miracles. Even as Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee, they followed him. When Jesus saw them, He didn’t ignore them or send them away. Instead, Jesus knew they were tired and hungry. He had compassion for them and decided to feed them. With no food in sight, a young boy offers his meal of bread and fish. Jesus takes what the boy has and feeds the multitude with leftovers!
 
Bottom Line: Use what you have to help others. Kids might think they’re too young to make a difference in how they treat others. This story reminds us that what we already have can help others and make a massive difference to them. We just have to be aware of others’ needs and be willing to give up what we have to help them. We pray that kids start to discover the easy ways to use what they have to show compassion.
 
Our memory verse was printed on paper loaves and fish, and the children arranged them in the correct order. We also “used what we had” to complete the hula hoop challenge. If your children want to do that again, all you need is a few people and a hula hoop. Idea from this website: https://www.playworks.org/game-library/hula-hoop-challenge/#:~:text=How%20to%20Play,group%20cheer%20each%20other%20on. Then the children created their own interpretation of loaves and fish using play-doh. It was great to see them being creative.
 
Bible Verse #15: “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2, NLT).
 
Blessings,
The Reign Forest Team