Lesson Continued...

This activity depends on your resources. If you have new parents who can come and talk to your class about how they had to learn to handle a baby gently, that would be great! If not, do the following:

• DO: Show pictures of newborn babies with their parents and siblings.

• ASK: Do any of you have a baby brother or sister? (Allow time for them to respond.) How do we handle babies? (Allow time for response.) Babies are fragile. We have to be careful with them. We are never rough with babies because it will hurt them. We treat them with gentleness.

• SAY: Can you guess what Fruit of the Spirit we are talking about today from look at our verses on the board? (Allow them to guess.) Gentleness! Today we will discover that gentleness is not just about how we care for a baby. God desires for us to be gentle in our actions, our words, and our attitudes! Where do we go to discover God’s truth about gentleness?

Read Deuteronomy 32:2 to your students as a prayer over your teaching time:
“May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.”

• SAY: This is my prayer as I teach you this morning. Now let’s read some verses together and discover God’s truth about gentleness!

• DO: Make a list of words that describe gentleness as you read different verses from  the Bible. Begin by reading together  Galatians 5:22-23.

• SAY:  The Bible tells us in this passage that gentleness is a Fruit of the Spirit. If we are saved, the Holy Spirit is living inside of us, and we can be people who overflow with gentleness! This does not mean that we will be gentle all the time. But as we come to know God more and more, we change! Gentleness becomes part of who we are. With the Spirit living inside of us, He gives us the power to be gentle! So what would be the first thing we write on the board to describe gentleness? (Fruit of the Spirit).

• Read Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” 

• SAY: Jesus models gentleness to us by calling all of those who are tired and suffering to find rest in Himself. He gently leads us, like a Shepherd with His sheep. What can we write on the board about gentleness from this verse? (Jesus is our example of gentleness.)

Read 2 Samuel 22:36, “You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.”

• SAY: This verse is from a song David sang after God delivered Him from his enemies. Earlier in the verse we see how powerful our God is in defeating David’s enemies. Describing God as gentle does not mean He is not powerful. David faced a lot of dangers in his life, but God was always there, caring, protecting, and guiding him. When David’s says God’s gentleness made him great, he is referring to His constant care over his life. What can we write on the board for this verse? (God is our example of gentleness. Words to describe it for us: listener, protector, safe place)

Read 1 Peter 3:15, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…”

• SAY: So gentleness is not keeping your faith to yourself, but proclaiming the Gospel with gentle words, in a respectful way. If someone asks you why you believe or even attacks your reasons for believing, you have to be ready to defend your faith in a gentle and respectful way. What do learn about gentleness from this verse? (Share truth with gentleness).

Read: Galatians 6:1, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

• SAY: As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to correct and confront each other when we see sin. This verse shows us that we are to do it with a spirit of gentleness. Instead of saying “You are such a sinner! You are horrible”, we should say, “I have seen this sin in your life. It hurts me to see you in this sin because I care about you. God loves you and desires for you to repent.” What do we learn about gentleness from this verse? (Correct sin with gentle spirit, gentle words.)

Directions:

1. Give every child an egg to decorate as their "buddy" for the day. They need to be as gentle as possible and try not to break it while they are at church.

Directions

• Give each child a coloring template and have them color the page FIRST. 

• After it is completely colored, they can glue pieces of fruit loops on to each fruit. Remind them that they need to be "gentle"

Directions

This is the part where they have to be extra careful!! If they truly don't want to use their "egg buddy" then they can substitute it out with a plastic egg. 

-Set up an obstacle course around the room.

-Let the kids take a turn (1 or 2 at a time) balancing their egg buddy on the spoon and walking around the obstacle course while being gentle. It is not a race! You "win" if you don't drop your egg buddy and are gentle with it!