Copyright 2015 by Elizabeth L. Hamilton All Rights Reserved. Perseverance Preparation Lesson 1 of 4 Perseverance Takes Hold (Perseverance finds a foothold, takes hold with all its might, and starts well.) Scripture: Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1 Print on cardstock one each of the character block and other picture pages. Print one copy of the age-appropriate activity sheet for each child involved. DISPLAY a real starting block like that at right ask your track coach. Introduction Say: Look how many blocks you have now in your character wall. (Count together.) We re going to add a new block today. Hold up the Perseverance block and encourage listeners to read it with you. Say: A block of perseverance in your character wall will help you get things done. It will help you succeed. It will help you succeed in play and in work. Fasten the perseverance block on your character wall. Say: Listen to how a runner shows perseverance. Display the runner picture as you tell the story. Tell this story in your own words, changing it if necessary to fit your listeners culture and ages. Victor jumped up from the breakfast table and headed for the door. Do you have everything? Mother called after him. I sure do! Victor dashed to the bus, climbed in, and sank into a seat. As the bus started down the street, he made sure he had put his bright yellow tracksuit and running shoes in his backpack. Coach would never let him race without them and he had to run today. Today was Sports Day! Satisfied that he had them, he looked across the aisle. Hey Tommy Tortoise, he joked, don t count on winning today. I don t plan to take any naps during the race. Tommy grinned. The last time you ll see ME is in the starting block, Rabbit, he laughed. Victor snorted. The only reason you joined the track team was to get a free tracksuit! They really were best friends, which was why neither boy got angry when the other teased about racing. Victor had trouble adding the easiest numbers that morning he was so excited about Sports Day. He had trouble answering questions about science, too. He only forgot Sports Day when the teacher read the next chapter of Doomsday in Pompeii. Patrick was really in trouble this time! The volcano was about to blow its top and Patrick had to help get people to safety before it did! Victor imagined he was Patrick. Wow! That s all for today. The teacher s voice brought Victor back to reality. It s time to change clothes for Sports Day. You may go to the locker rooms. When you re ready, go directly to the sports field.
Feet, Victor whispered, get me to that locker room without running but fly when we get out on the track! He and Tommy hurried to the locker room, dressed quickly, and were the first ones on the sports field. They stretched their legs. They stretched their backs. They swung their arms back and forth to stretch those. They jogged up and down, up and down. They put on jackets, then, to keep their muscles warm while they waited. The first race was for younger boys and girls. The teacher lined them up on the brown track, all wearing jeans, all still wearing jackets. Two little girls with blond hair were even carrying pink backpacks. Tommy raised his eyebrows. What s wrong with them? he hissed at Victor. Do they really think they can run fast wearing all that clothing and backpacks? Victor shook his head in disgust. Little kids! he jeered. The two boys watched as one class after another ran around the track. Finally, it was their turn. The coach pointed at the starting blocks and called out, Fourth class boys to the blocks! Victor and Tommy pulled off their jackets and threw them on a bench. They threw their caps there, too. Then they added their wristwatches. They checked their shoestrings to be sure they wouldn t tangle and make them fall. They took a drink of water. They looked around at the watching crowd, and hurried to the starting blocks. Coach Morgan held up his hand. Find a foothold in those blocks, he told them. Make your feet take hold with all their might. When I say go, push off and you ll get a good start. Then keep your eyes on the red ribbon at the finish line. He looked around. Ready, he said, and the boys pushed their feet into the blocks. Get set, he called, and they bent over to touch the ground. Then, GO! he shouted. Victor and Tommy leaped forward, their feet flying out of the starting blocks. They dug their toes into the dirt of the track. They moved their feet as fast as they could, feeling the wind rushing past their faces. They kept on, their eyes not looking at anything but that bright red ribbon at the finish line. It s taking so long to get there, Victor thought, but he didn t take his eyes off that red ribbon. The red ribbon seemed closer now. I should be able to get there, he thought. Forcing his legs to push harder than before, he kept going. He was just beginning to think he couldn t run another step when he saw Tommy beside him. He heard voices shouting. He heard hands clapping. He wanted to look, but he had to beat Tommy. Victor snatched a bracelet from his arm, and threw it into the grass. He yanked off a neck chain and tossed it, too. His throat ached for air. He gasped and threw himself forward forward forward to the red ribbon. His feet stopped and he sank to the ground, panting. Hooray, Victor! shouted the watching crowd. Victor won! He won? He won! Victor won the race! Bible Story: Daniel s Perseverance for God Daniel 6 A runner is an athlete. And what is an athlete? An athlete s a person who s good at sports and games things where you have to be able to use your body well. The Word of God tells us about a young man who was a great athlete. He didn t compete in sports, but he did live his life as though he was running for God. That young man s name was Daniel. Display picture of Daniel. Prince Daniel lived in Israel, but one day King Nebuchadnezzar captured him. The king took Daniel far away to Babylon. There, he commanded that Daniel and his friends must eat the same kind of food the king ate.
No, thank you, Daniel told the king s servants. The king s food would get in the way of me being able to live my life for God. We will eat the food God tells us to eat. Daniel had his eyes on God, his finish line. He took hold of God in prayer, and God made him healthier than all of the young men who ate the king s fine food. Some time later, King Nebuchadnezzar had a very bad dream but he couldn t remember it when he awakened. He ordered wise men to tell him what he dreamed and what it meant. They couldn t do that! The angry king commanded that every wise man in Babylon be killed. That included Daniel and his friends. Please give me time. I will tell you the dream and what it means, Daniel said. Daniel had his eyes on God, his finish line. He knew God would tell him. The king agreed, and Daniel hurried home. He took hold of God in prayer. He prayed and prayed, asking God to show him the dream and its meaning. God did that, and Daniel was able to tell King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel had his eyes on God, and God used him to help the king. Daniel became famous, and very important to the king, but he kept his eyes on God. He knew he must live his life for God, no matter what happened to him. He got down on his knees three times every day and prayed to God and that got him in trouble again. The king did not allow anyone to worship God. The king wanted to be like a god. He wanted people to worship only him. Wicked men who didn t like Daniel hurried to tell the king that Daniel was breaking the law. The king became angry. He commanded that Daniel be thrown into a den of hungry lions. You know that story, don t you? Because Daniel had his eyes on God and was living for God, God closed the lions mouths and kept Daniel safe. Daniel lived his whole life with his eyes on God. He took hold of God s promises. He refused everything that was wrong everything that was sin. He did what was right so that he would win life in Heaven with God. Apply the two stories in age-appropriate words. Hold up the picture of a runner, and read, Perseverance Takes Hold. You show perseverance when you take hold of your life. You take hold and do what you know you should do. You take hold of the work Dad or Mom gives you, and stick to that work as though you are glued to it until it is done. You take hold of homework, and stick to that as though you were glued to it until it is done. Remember what else Victor did to win the race? Yes. He kept his eyes on the red ribbon at the finish line. He didn t play along the way. He didn t stop to talk to his friends. He kept looking at that bright red ribbon. What did Victor do to be sure he wouldn t trip? Right. He made sure his shoelaces were tied tight. What things did Victor have to throw off so they wouldn t keep him from winning? Let s name them: jacket, cap, watch, bracelet, and neck chain. Hold up the Daniel picture, and read, Perseverance Takes Hold. Daniel s race was different from Victor s race. Daniel s race was his life. God and Heaven were the red ribbon at the finish line. Daniel took hold and made sure sin did not get in the way of him reaching that finish line. Talk about the specific ways Daniel took hold, using the Bible memory verse to show how Daniel lived life the way God says we should live it. That s perseverance. Perseverance takes hold as though glued to something! You show perseverance when you take hold of your work, your play, and every part of your life. Close by handing out assignment sheets.
Perseverance Takes Hold
First and Last Name: I show perseverance when I take hold of my work or play. You heard two stories in class this week. The first was about a runner. The second was about a man in the Bible. Look at the pictures below and tell both stories to a parent. Ask your parent(s) to sign this page to show that you told both stories. Then draw a picture of you on the back of the page. Show how you do things like the runner and the man in the Bible did. Signature of one or both parents runner in the block Daniel praying Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month Program Perseverance #1 Ages 3 to 7 Copyright 2015 by Elizabeth L Hamilton For more information, visit www.character-in-action.com
First and Last Name: I show perseverance when I take hold of my work or play. Fact: Successful runners take hold of the starting block with their feet. Our story told us about a character trait good runners show. Runners do more than one thing to show this character trait. Find other facts about successful runners. Fill the area around the runner s picture below with the facts you find. First, write the character trait you learned. Then add other facts. When you have finished, turn this page over and tell how Daniel showed perseverance. Explain how you can show perseverance. Finally, write your Bible memory verse. They take hold of the starting block. Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month Program Copyright 2015 by Elizabeth L Hamilton Perseverance #1 Ages 7 and Up For more information, visit www.character-in-action.com