Proverb For Life - Proverbs 24:3, 4 “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” (ESV)
There is a lot of building going on in our neighborhood right now. They are building a new subdivision and widening the street just outside the entrance to our subdivision. My kids (the boys especially) have really enjoyed seeing all the big trucks and plows. Princess L on the other hand asked all the questions as to why they were paving one layer, tearing up the old layer, digging down, adding some pavements, then moving to the other side to tear up the first layer they poured, digging again, and then making the road smooth. They have seen the same preparation to build as they watched the houses being built. The builders smooth out the lots in the neighborhood, then frame the base, then pour the concrete to make a solid foundation. It gave me an idea to help them understand how they should build their lives on a foundation that will not move, just like a house or a road has a foundation that must be laid first.
So for a fun little visual, we made and decorated mini gingerbread houses using graham crackers, icing, and all the usual goodies. We talked about all the ways people can build their lives on shaking, changing foundations, and how we can know for sure that we are secure. The kids had a blast (and ate too much candy) but at the end they remembered the point. We should build our lives on God alone and the wisdom that comes from him.
You don't have to use hot glue. I just did this to make it easier for the small fries.
Princess L’s house came out wobbly which actually worked really well to illustrate what I was trying to show them.
The toppings that make it fun and give you a tummy ache later!
Everyone hard at work, or snacking!
Little Man's House
Big Man's House
Princess L's House
Precious A's House
Finished!
Here are some of the questions I asked while they decorated.
- What are some ways you might build your life to cause it to be shaky?
- Why aren’t people a good thing to build your life around?
- Why doesn’t money solve all your problems and make you secure?
- What if you just work really hard?
- What does it mean to build your life on Christ?
- Who made you?
- Can God really be trusted?
- Is God really good?
- What if it doesn’t feel like God is good?
- So if God is good, and he made you, can you trust his plan for your life and that it will be good, even if you don’t understand that plan?
You don’t have to wait until Christmas to do this with your kids. It works any time of the year. If you drive past a lot of construction, point out how important the foundation is in the building process. Then go home and build a house together.