Hands-on Faith for Families– Week of 6/17/13
Patience Amid Differences
1 Thessalonians 5:14
And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Talking to God
Ask God to forgive you for the times you've been impatient with others. Thank Him for the times other people have been patient with you.
Diving In
Shout out as many pairs of opposites as you can. (For example: wet and dry; happy and sad; tall and short)
Going Deeper
Have you ever noticed how two people can have opposite personalities or likes and dislikes? God sometimes fills families with people who are quite different from each other. To learn to get along with those closest to you, you have to work at being patient with your differences. In 1 Corinthians 13:4, the first word used to describe love is patient. When Jesus told you to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39), He knew you would need patience to do this. God, in His creativity, made you different from all others. Because of this, you have the opportunity to learn patience.
Talking to Each Other
• Tell about a time when someone was especially patient with you.
• Why is patience an important part of loving people?
• Is there someone you need to be more patient with?
• What is one thing you can do to show patience to this person?
From Focus on the Family's Thrivingfamily.com. © [2011] [Renee Gray-Wilburn]. Used by permission.
