Hands-on Faith for Families – week of July 12, 2021
Theme: Demonstrate God’s Compassion to Others
Seeing Needs and Showing Compassion
Scripture: When He [Jesus] saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)
Play: Clear a space in your home where you can walk around blindfolded and not hurt yourself. Turn up the volume on a radio so that it drowns out your normal speaking voice. On one side of the family room, blindfold a family member. From across the room, have another family member whisper directions that guide the blindfolded person to him or her. Ask the whisperer to gradually speak up until the blindfolded person can hear the directions and safely make it to the other side of the room.
Talk: One of the reasons that Jesus came into the world was to help the blind see. In Luke 4:18, 19, Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
People who do not know God are like people who are blind or blindfolded. They cannot find their way to God and to His forgiveness and love. They are “spiritually blind” and need the guidance of God’s truth to lead them in the right direction. To make matters worse, the noises of the world—such as people’s differing opinions about God—often drown out the truth that would guide them. They may listen to and agree with many wrong opinions and follow what seems best or easiest to them.
Clear directions helped your blindfolded family member cross the floor amid the blaring sounds of a radio. In much the same way, Jesus wants to help those who do not have a relationship with God find their way to Him. He is the way through the distracting noises of the world, and He has compassion on them because they are blind and confused. As followers of Christ, we should have the same attitude toward those who are spiritually blind.
Pray: Ask God to help you see others as He sees them and to give you a heart of compassion for those who do not have a relationship with Him.
— Lee Smedly
Copyright © 2011 by Focus on the Family. www.focusonthefamily.com
