Family Devotional
How Stuff Works
In this 4 week series, we’re going to learn how stuff works. Stuff like: feelings, friendship, greed, and forgiveness.
How Feelings Work
Imagine playing your favorite video game or building a giant tower out of blocks, and right when you’re about to win, someone trips over it or turns off the screen! Suddenly, your face gets hot, your hands clench into fists, and you feel like yelling or throwing something across the room. Strong feelings like anger, sadness, or excitement can wash over us super fast, like a giant wave at the beach that knocks us right off our feet!
God made us with all kinds of emotions, and having feelings is completely normal! But if we aren’t careful, letting our feelings take total control can cause us to say or do mean things that hurt others and get us into trouble. God cares about what happens inside our hearts, and He wants us to learn how feelings work so we can manage them instead of letting our emotions boss us around!
Proverbs 29:11 Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.
So how do you keep your feelings from running wild when you get super mad or frustrated? You can use a simple spiritual life hack called the Stoplight Method: Stop, Think, and then Act! When a huge wave of anger hits, don’t instantly react on red. Instead, hit the brakes and stop! Take a slow, deep breath and give yourself a quick pause before you speak or move.
Next, switch to the yellow light and think! Ask yourself: “Why am I feeling this way, and what is the wise choice to make right now?” Then, proceed on green to act in a way that pleases God, like using calm words, walking away to cool down, or asking Jesus to help you stay gentle. When you practice stopping and thinking before you act, you win the battle over your emotions and show His amazing love to everyone around you!
Talk About It
- If your current mood was a weather report—like a sunny beach, a sudden thunderstorm, or a chilly snowstorm—what kind of weather would you be having right now?
- What is our main Bible truth today, and where can we find it in the Bible?
- Parents, when you were kids, what was a situation that used to make you explode with anger or frustration, and how did you learn to cool down?
- Why is it so tempting to yell or throw a fit when a sibling or friend makes us upset, and how can the Stoplight Method help us make a wiser choice?
- What is one practical step our family can practice together this week whenever we feel big, angry emotions starting to take over?
How Friendship Works
Imagine going out to recess and having a brand new kid ask to join your favorite game, or sitting down at lunch next to someone who feels completely left out. You might wonder how to start talking to them, what games to play, or how to turn a classmate into a really great buddy! Building awesome friendships is one of the most exciting parts of growing up, but knowing how to make and keep good friends takes practice.
The truth is, having great friends doesn’t just happen by accident! The Bible shows us that if we want to have good friends, we have to start by learning how to be a good friend first. God made us to live in community and care for each other, and He cares deeply about how we treat our friends because our relationships can reflect His amazing love to the world!
Proverbs 17:17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
So what does building great friendships actually look like in everyday life? It means putting other people first instead of always needing to get your own way! Being a good friend means listening when someone is talking, cheering on your buddies when they succeed, and choosing to share your favorite toys or video games. It also means showing grace and forgiveness when a friend makes a mistake or has a bad day.
Whenever you are at school, sports practice, or playing in your neighborhood, give yourself a quick friendship check! Ask yourself: “Am I treating my friends the way I want them to treat me?” You can choose to be the kind of encouraging, loyal friend who brightens up someone else’s day. Practice being a great friend this week and show Jesus’ amazing love to everyone around you!
Talk About It
- If you could invent a super crazy, high-tech robot friend to hang out with for a day, what cool features would it have and what game would you play first?
- What is our main Bible truth today, and where can we find it in the Bible?
- Parents, when you were kids, who was your best friend and what made that friendship so special to you?
- Why is it sometimes really hard to be a good friend when someone gets bossy or wants to play a game you don’t like, and how can Jesus help us be patient?
- What is one practical thing our family can do to be an encouraging friend to someone in our neighborhood or school this week?
When You Have a Case of the “Gimmies”
Have you ever been walking down the toy aisle at the store, seen the newest video game or coolest shoes, and felt like you just HAD to have them right that second? Suddenly, everything you already own feels boring, and all you can think is, “I want that! Gimme, gimme, gimme!” We call that having a bad case of the “gimmies.” It’s that itchy feeling inside that tells us we need more and newer stuff to be happy.
The problem with the gimmies is that new stuff never actually satisfies us for long. The moment you get that awesome new toy, a newer and faster version comes out next week, and you’re back to wanting more! But God wants us to know a secret: stuff isn’t the answer to true happiness. Instead of constantly begging for more, God invites us to trust Him because He promises to give us everything we truly need.
Philippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Curing a case of the gimmies starts with practicing gratitude—being thankful for what you already have! When you catch yourself whining for a new game or complaining that your phone isn’t the newest model, try swapping your “gimme” thoughts for “thank you” thoughts. Remember, there’s a big difference between things we want and things we actually need, like food, clothes, a home, and God’s love.
Here’s a life hack to win over the gimmies this week: whenever you feel super tempted to ask for something new, stop and name three things you already own that you’re super grateful for. When we focus on God’s incredible goodness and how much He cares for us, our hearts fill up with joy that no store-bought toy could ever give us. Choose to shine with a thankful heart that reflects Jesus every single day!
Talk About It
- If you could invent a super silly gadget that does anything you want, what would it do?
- What main verse did we learn about God supplying our needs, and where is it found in the Bible?
- Parents, when you were kids, what was a toy or trend you begged for that you eventually got bored of?
- Why is it so hard to stop wanting new things when all our friends at school have them, and how can Jesus help us be content?
- What is one practical way our family can practice saying “thank you” for what we have instead of asking for more stuff this week?
How Forgiveness Works
Imagine building a super cool LEGO tower, and right when you finish the final floor, your little brother accidentally bumps into it and crashes it to the ground. Your face gets hot, your tummy tightens up, and you feel like screaming or breaking something of theirs to make things equal. When someone hurts us, our natural instinct is to get payback and make them feel just as bad as we do.
That angry feeling inside is called holding a grudge, but Jesus has a way better plan for us: forgiveness! Forgiveness doesn’t mean what they did was okay, but it means choosing to let them off the hook instead of getting revenge. God calls us to be forgiveness experts because that is exactly how He treats us every single day.
Colossians 3:13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
When you forgive someone, you are handing them a total free gift. Instead of keeping score of their mistakes, you wipe the scoreboard completely clean! That means no secret payback, no silent treatment, and no bringing up their past mistakes the next time you get into an argument. It isn’t always easy, but it stops anger from taking over your heart.
Here’s a life hack to win at forgiving others: whenever someone hurts you, imagine holding an invisible heavy backpack filled with rocks. Every time you choose to forgive instead of getting even, you drop a rock out of that pack! When we ask Jesus to help us drop the heavy stuff, our hearts stay light and happy. Choose to forgive quickly so you can shine Jesus’ amazing love to everyone around you!
Talk About It
- If you had to invent a silly superpower that wipes away messy mistakes, what would it look like?
- What verse did we read about forgiving others because the Lord forgave us, and where is it found in the Bible?
- Parents, when you were kids, who was someone that was hard for you to forgive, and how did you handle it?
- Why is it so hard to choose forgiveness when a classmate or sibling hurts us on purpose, and how can Jesus help us in that moment?
- What is one practical way our family can practice letting go of small arguments and choosing forgiveness this week?
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