A speaker did this years ago when I was at college. I filed it away. Last night I pulled it out and taught my kids.
I held up a crisp $50 bill and asked if anyone was interested in having it. Of course ALL hands were in the air.
I asked them why they would want this and the replies ensued. I then took that crisp bill and crumbled it all up into a wad. I asked again, “Would anyone want this now?” Of course ALL hands went up again. I explained to them that it has been crumbled and isn’t crisp anymore. Jacob said, “But the value is still the same”.
I then took the wadded up $50 and stepped on it with my shoe. I assured the kids that my shoe probably is a little dirty and so the bill now is dirty. “Does anyone want it now?” Once again ALL hands went up. Nathan then pointed out that it is STILL a $50 bill.
I then launched into my lesson on the worth of a soul. We are ALL children of God. Some have had harder struggles than others. Some may have grown up in an area where they weren’t seen as an equal. Yet, even though some have been crumpled or stepped on, we are still children of God. Our worth is the same in his eyes.
We then talked about people that we know who might not be treated with respect and how they might not feel that they have self worth.
We finished off the night making a few blessing bags that are filled with goodies and a gift card for those on the street corners that plead for assistance. These people are crumpled right now, but in our eyes they still have worth and hopefully they can feel that by our little bag of goodies.
My incredible friend Katherine made a lot of these bags and has ideas of what to fill them with. You can find her HERE.
Elaine Jack said, “Our eternal worth is given to us by God; it cannot be manipulated or decreased by anyone. Of course, if we are not living the commandments, we may lose sight of our divine worth and potential. Nevertheless, each soul’s inherent worth is always great in the sight of our loving Heavenly Father. I think that is imperative to know! Worthlessness is not an option for anyone.”
That is brilliant! I am going to file that one away!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful lesson teaching them about kindness, compassion and that we are all God's kids! I never thought about adding socks to the blessing bags. So perfect as the temp begins to change! You generosity and kindness is so awesome!!!! Xoxoxoxoxox
ReplyDeletePowerful message to the kids! AND I love the idea of the blessing bags! I need to make some and keep them in my car.
ReplyDeleteI was in tears as I read this FHE. We live in a small town and until the last two years, my kids had never seen any homeless people. My 12 year old son is very compassionate and it breaks his heart every time we see someone in need (which is becoming more and more frequent). I absolutely LOVE the idea of making up some of these bags and keeping them in our car to be able to give out. Thank you soooo much!
ReplyDeleteYou are awesome, Shauna Rae.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE YOU!
Awesome. Amazing. I love this FHE idea :)
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon your blog today, and I must say that this post really helped me. I have been struggling to see my own self worth. I often feel as though I am not that great, I find my self comparing my self to others. I had felt very negative, but this post has helped me remember my worth. Thank you so much!! :D
ReplyDeleteWay after your post, it has reached out to touch me and my family in a time when I very much needed to hear it--love your site--keep up encouraging others in doing good always, thank you so much
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