Carrots, Eggs, and Coffee Beans
INTRO: Call kids up. “Does anyone know what adversity is?”
It is when something comes into your life which is not fun. Like someone being mean to you for no reason. Or when bad things come into your life whether you expect it or not.
Give out some carrots—Carrots are hard to begin with, right?
What are eggs like before you cook them? Hard outside, soft inside.
What about coffee beans? What are they like?
What happens if we boil those three things? What happens?
The carrots get soft.
The eggs stay hard on the outside, but they get hard on the inside too.
What happens to the coffee bean? It changes the water.
If we think about the heat of a stove like it is the bad things that come into our lives this can help us see how we might react to those bad things.
PROP: When adversity comes against you, how are you going to react?
#1. Carrots
Fear, weakness—Snow White clip
Philippians 4
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
#2. Eggs
Bitterness, hardness of heart
Ephesians 4
31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Hebrews 12
15See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
#3. Coffee Beans
Our approach to adversity can change the world around us.
James 1:2-4
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Romans 12:21
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
John 16:33
33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Romans 5:3-5
3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
CONC:
Gods and Generals?
Snow White?
