Copyright 2014 by Elizabeth L. Hamilton All Rights Reserved. Patience Preparation Lesson 1 of 4 Patience Stays Cool (Patience refuses to get hot {angry} and lose its temper over things.) Scripture: Peter said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Jesus said, Until seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22 Print on cardstock one copy each of pages 4, 5, and 6. Print one copy of the age-appropriate activity sheet for each child. Introduction Say: Today we re going to place a block of patience in your character wall. Hold up the Patience block and have your listeners read the word with you. Say: The patience block seems like an easy block to put in your character wall until you really try it. Many people find that it keeps falling out. They have to pick it up and put it back over and over again. Fasten the Patience block on your character wall. Ask: What s the opposite of the word cool or cold? It s warm or hot, isn t it? Say: When we talk about feelings, we say you get hot when you get angry. Some people get angry when certain things happen. They get hot. They lose their cool. Hold up the Page 5 picture of the girl, reading the caption, Patience Stays Cool. Continue to display this picture while you tell the story. Say: Patience doesn t get hot. Patience stays cool. Let s see how that works. Tell this story in your own words, changing it to fit your listeners adapting to their age and culture. Zachary s family hurried through the busy mall. They wanted to buy Christmas gifts for their friends. Dad wanted to buy special cookies for his boss. Suddenly, 3-year-old Zana stopped. Toy store! she said. She tugged Mom s hand. Not now, Zana, Mom told her. Come on. Mom took a step, but Zana stood still. No! she said loudly. Toy store! Toy store! Toy store! We are not going in the toy store, Zana, Dad said. Now come. Zana screamed, No! She threw herself on the floor, kicking and crying. Toy store! she screamed. Zachary rolled his eyes. Temper tantrum, he whispered to Lizbet, his older sister. Lizbet nodded. She has no patience. Every time she doesn t get her own way, she throws a tantrum. Dad picked up Zana and stood her on her feet. Zachary will take you to the car, Zana, he said.
What?! Zachary could hardly believe his ears. Why me? Why not Lizbet? I have to buy gifts for all my friends, Lizbet said quickly. You think I don t have to buy gifts?! Zachary spluttered. He stuck out his tongue at Lizbet. Lizbet grinned. Now who s having a temper tantrum? Hot head! Did you lose your cool? Zachary closed his mouth. He tried to look cool on the outside, but inside? Inside he was boiling angry. He grabbed his little sister s hand and yanked her. Come on, he said. Zana was still crying, but he didn t care. He went so fast she had to run to keep up to him. People stopped and stared, but Zachary was too angry to care. It just wasn t fair. Lizbet wasn t fair saying he was having a temper tantrum calling him a hot head. She d have acted the same way if Dad had told her to babysit Zana. She d have lost her cool, too. He was sure. Zachary stopped as they reached the car. He glared at Zana. You have to learn patience, he said. You have to stay cool when Mom won t let you do what you want to do. Temper tantrums aren t cool. Stamping your foot isn t cool. Screaming isn t cool. Getting angry at Dad or Mom isn t cool either. Do you understand? Zana gave him a little smile. Okay, Zachary. I ll be patient like you, she said. Bible Story: Saul s Temper Tantrums I Samuel 18:10-11 Do you know about King Saul? He was the first king God gave Israel. Saul was so tall that his head and his shoulders were above everybody else s heads and shoulders! He was a very big man and a very important man once he became king but King Saul had temper tantrums. King Saul lost his cool. The Bible tells us that King Saul did not obey God. He kept on disobeying, so God punished him. God gave an evil spirit permission to torment the king. We don t know exactly what the evil spirit did, but it made the king sick in his body and his mind. It frightened him dreadfully. He became fussy, grumbling, and complaining about everything. Sometimes he acted like a madman. The king s servants tried to help him, but nothing made the king happy. Finally, the servants told the king, See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let the king command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better. King Saul agreed to their plan, and they began asking people who was the best lyre player in the land. David, was the answer they got. The shepherd boy David plays the lyre better than anyone else. The servants went to David s house and took him to the king s palace. David played his lyre, and the king felt better right away. He felt happier, too. The king liked David very much, and soon David moved to the palace. After that, anytime the evil spirit tormented King Saul, David would play his lyre and make the king feel better. The king next made David his armor bearer. Then King Saul made the young man chief of his men of war. The king sent David to fight the enemy, and God helped David do a wonderful job of fighting. Everything was fine until one day. The king came back to town from a war. Women poured into the streets to welcome the king home. The women played music. They danced. They sang. One thing they sang was, Saul has killed thousands, and David has killed ten thousands! King Saul did not like that at all. The king became very angry at David. It wasn t David s fault that the women sang those words, but the king was angry at him anyway. He completely lost his cool! He did not like David now. He watched him, trying to find a way to hurt him for what the women sang. The very next day, that evil spirit tormented the king again. He was nasty to everyone. They called David, and he hurried in to play his lyre as usual. Today was not usual, though. Today, the king was looking for a way to hurt David. He was holding a javelin in his hand. Display the Page 6 picture as you continue.
A javelin was a long, sharp spear that men threw at enemies. King Saul held it in his hand, and he pouted as David played the lyre. He wanted the women to sing that he was the greatest, not David. His temper grew hotter and hotter against David. He totally lost his cool in fact, he had a temper tantrum. He didn t throw himself on the floor, screaming and kicking, but he had an adult temper tantrum. The king scowled, and muttered to himself, I ll nail David to the wall with my javelin!! In a sudden movement, the king threw the javelin straight at David! David jumped out of the way. The king threw it again, and David jumped out of the way again. God protected him from the king! That was too much for Saul. The same God who gave Saul an evil spirit gave David safety and praise! Saul sent him out of the palace. From that day on, he became David s enemy. Apply the two stories in age-appropriate words. Hold up the Page 5 picture of the girl and read, Patience Stays Cool. You show patience when you stay cool about things. When something happens that you don t like, you don t get angry you stay cool. Did 3-year-old Zana exercise patience in our story? Did she stay cool? What made her get hot? Was that right? Have you ever thrown a temper tantrum? Did brother Zachary exercise patience? Did he get hot? What makes you think he did? When do you get hot and lose your cool? At school? At home? On the playground? Do you think Lizbet showed patience when she stuck out her tongue at her brother? No, she lost some cool, too. Hold up the Page 5 picture again and read, Patience Stays Cool. Well, what about Saul? Hold up the Page 6 picture of Saul and David, reading, Patience Stays Cool. Did King Saul have a good reason to get angry at David? What was his reason? He wanted the women to think he was more important than anyone, including David. He got hot because they praised David. He didn t stay cool. How did King Saul have a temper tantrum? Did his temper tantrum make things better? Do you think the women would sing his praises if he killed David? His temper tantrum only made things worse. That s what temper tantrums do. When do you find it easy to get angry? Maybe you don t have temper tantrums, but what bothers you? What do people do that makes you get hot and angry? Show the Page 6 picture again, and point to David. David did not get hot. David stayed cool. David did not throw a temper tantrum. He jumped to safety, but he did not scream at the king. He did not refuse to play for the king. He did not even pick up the javelin and throw it back at the king. David prayed and told God about it. He stayed cool, and forgave the king. That s what God wants us to do. When you feel yourself getting hot because of something people do to you, stop. Pray and ask God for help. Then forgive the people for what they did. Let God take care of it. Read and explain the memory verse which is a condensation of two verses. Patience stays cool. Close by handing out assignment sheets.
First and Last Name: Learn to say your Bible memory verse so well that you can do it without help. Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month Program Patience #1 Ages 3 to 7 Copyright 2014 by Elizabeth L Hamilton For more information, visit www.character-in-action.com
on the back of this page. Look at the little picture. Do you see the red robe? Now look at the big picture. Use a red crayon or a red marker to color the robe. Make it look like the little picture. Tell the King Saul story to an adult in your home. Ask the adult to sign the back of the picture to show that you did this. Then write your name on the back of this page. Write the date, too. Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month Program Patience #1 Ages 3 to 7 Copyright 2014 by Elizabeth L Hamilton For more information, visit www.character-in-action.com
First and Last Name: I show patience when I stay cool about things. Patience stays cool, even when it doesn t get its own way. It doesn t get hot and angry. Think about that this week. Tell an adult the King Saul story and tell what it means to us. Ask an adult to tell you when you do not exercise patience and when you do exercise patience. In the red box below, draw a picture that shows what you did when you were not patient. In the green box, draw a picture showing what you did when you were patient. Write your Bible memory verse on the back of this page. Then color the next page and write you name on the back of it. Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month Program Copyright 2014 by Elizabeth L Hamilton Patience #1 Ages 7 and up For more information, visit www.character-in-action.com
Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month Program Copyright 2014 by Elizabeth L Hamilton Patience #1 Ages 7 and up For more information, visit www.character-in-action.com