November 4, 2009
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An Easy Sunday School Lesson to Teach?
No.
"Growing Patience!"
Patience is hard enough for an adult.....as we wait on little things and large things to be answered in prayer. This was the lesson for my 6th and 7th grade girls. My study book suggested making cookies....but taking them out of the oven before they are finished to bring out the point when we are impatient, we may ruin something; we may miss what is best.
I was prepared for some of the girls to say they like unbaked dough and therefore would like the cookies just like this.......because our children, Barb and Brian, enjoyed eating the cookies before they entered the oven!!
How could I still make a point with these doughy cookies? The eggs were my answer! (When I was a little girl, that was never a concern.....all the homemade ice cream we made.....the recipe asking for 8 or 9 raw eggs.....we never got sick!) 
The cookies that took patience to wait on, while baking completely, are on the right! Several girls were missing today so we had lots of cookies to eat! These girls are a JOY to teach - very attentive and offer thoughts about the lesson. Sarah, I'm sorry I snapped this just as you were coming out of a blink!!
Several years ago I did a lesson similar to this....unbaked cookies....and as I was leaving church I passed one of our deacons. At that time I had the unbaked cookies on a cookie sheet. When I explained to John what this was all about, he said, "Oh I like them just like that!!" and helped himself to several!
He, also, grew up like I did - not worrying about raw eggs! I am more concerned about that today.
This was back a month or so ago - if you notice the corn in the neighbor's field at middle right of picture, right now that is brown in color and is ready to harvest. But this experience was practicing a minor bit of patience for me as I waited and waited on this little treasure to come to my feeder - AND - capture a picture! This summer we had the privilege of listening to a hummingbird expert speak on their habits, etc. I found it interesting to hear that their nests are the size of half a walnut! How would you begin to find one?! I would love to!
He is coming in for a landing!
Thank you, Lord, for eyesight as this was a joy to observe!
In our Sunday School lesson we talked about the fact that patience doesn't come naturally for most people. We eat in a hurry; we can send messages in a hurry; with a digital camera we can see pictures immediately! So it becomes difficult for us to wait for something. We discussed King David. For over ten years David patiently trusted God to keep His promise so that he could become king. I'm so thankful for the Psalms as we can feel the emotions and comfort David felt as he wrote in times of trouble and heartache.
But WHY didn't God make David king right away? Don't you believe David learned lessons he would not have learned otherwise? I would far prefer to learn these lessons without going through trials. Somehow it doesn't seem to work quite that way. We had a stillborn baby daughter, Christy Joy, in my 7th month. That was very, very hard - especially since our other two children were older so I explained a lot to them while carrying her and they also were looking forward to this baby just as Nevin and I were. I then carried their grief plus my own. It has given me a new compassion for other mothers - that I know I would not have had otherwise. Yes, I would care deeply but now I know how they feel. I believe sympathy is caring but empathy is knowing and caring....knowing with our heart.
Today, if you are waiting on something, I pray you will have the strength to "Cast your cares on the Lord" for scripture says, "He shall sustain you." Psalm 55:22 ~Blessings, as I wait also
Comments (9)
Oh Cordy, I so appreciated your words of wisdom this evening! You are such a wonderful, wise, loving lady! It is my prayer that someday I will have the patience and understanding that you do. It seems right now that we have an extra amount of waiting to do... a lot of unanswered questions.... or may-be it is just God saying "wait" for right now. I can not express how much I appreciated this post, and especially the verse at the end! THANK YOU Cordy, and I wish you a very blessed day!! ~Jen~
What a creative way to teach such an important lesson... I love the application with the cookies & it made me smile that your kids enjoyed them that way but I bet the lesson wasn't lost on them regardless!!!! The hummingbird photo is beautiful & again such a powerful application of the lesson you shared. I struggle with patience in nearly every area of my life so I appreciate you sharing your wisdom as well as the lessons that the Lord has taught you in this regard. I can't tell you how much your warm & compassionate encouragement when we lost our little one meant to me but my heart grieves as I reflect on your loss. Praise God that He works all things for good & that one day all sadness will cease!!! Thinking of you often & praying for you as well.
What a great challenge and reminder this morning. I just spent some time reading several Psalms. David's pain is so real and God's faithfulness is ever present! I will probably share this post with my mom later as she could use a good reminder about patience- not that I'm saying she is overly struggling with it, but it is so difficult for them right now with 2 houses on the market, waiting on my dad finding a job, and the bills still coming. I know God could snap his fingers and sell 1 or 2 of their houses and give my dad a job, RIGHT THIS MINUTE, if He chose, it's so hard not knowing why He wont! But at least we have the reassurance and the Hope that He has our best interest in mind and knows what He is doing.
Those hummingbird photos are beautiful! Way to capture some of God's beautiful creation!
Great object lesson! In one of my Christain Ed. courses at college we had to do an object lesson and my lesson was about all things working together for good. I took an egg, some shortening, sugar, etc., in zip bags to show all the ingredients. Asked anyone if they wanted to sample. No takers. I also took along some homemade muffins made from the ingredients. Everyone enjoyed munching on them while I told them how I had had to work all those ingred. together to get the good muffins. I have to remind myself of that lesson quite often!!! Depend on Him to work all things for good.
i love the cookie analogy and might just do that w/ my kiddos to teach this powerful lesson...
thanks for sharing~ i'd say those little girls in your class are BLESSED to have you as their teacher.
That was a great analaogy to use and something I can use here at home to teach the same idea. We talk a lot about patience with this baby as well. Haley, my oldest at 7, was so wanting the baby to be here tomorrow after feeling it move
, but we had a long talk about how God is forming this baby and how we have to be patient until God decides for it to be here.
I know the sorrow you speak of and that comes into our discussions as well as we continue to pray that the Lord would continue to keep this baby safe for us to raise.
Hummingbird nests....they are indeed the cutest things!! I worked for many years in the Wholesale Nursery Industry. One of the growers often had hummingbird nests in amongst the Bougainvillea Vines. The vines would be staked about 5' tall and would be lined up right next to each other and it would give much protection from wind, predators, not to mention the thorns on the vines as well.... We would always take the yellow caution tape out and rope off the area so that customers would not disturb the site.
I love those types of visual lessons. They really stick with you. Sorry I haven't been consistently visiting. We're in the middle of a move. Enjoyed your post.
I checked in to see if you have been writing posts and sure enough there were two I missed. Somehow they aren't coming through to let me know you wrote.
I would have loved to have had you as my SS teacher when I was young, and even now, I am sure. Have a wonderful day!!
@pianowithjen - Thank You, Jen, for your words of blessing. I pray in this New Year you and Elvin will experience God's love in even a deeper way as you wait on Him and as you trust Him. As you know it is not easy but it is the best place to be - "hiding in Thee, while we wait." I keep a picture on hand where a bird is snuggled in her nest back in the hollow of a tree....and above it are these words: "Thou Art My Hiding Place." ~love and prayers
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