February 12th - What We Learned

This Sunday, February 12th, your Reign Forest child (ages 2-5) learned that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our hearts (Matthew 22:34-40).  To illustrate this concept, the class compared objects like baseball bats and balls to hats and coats, and they had to decide which set was more important.  Bats and balls are fun to play with, but hats and coats are more important because they keep us warm.  Cookies are great to eat, but vegetables are more important because they keep us healthy.  Just like those things, being nice to someone is very good, but loving God with all your heart is more important because when we love Him, He helps guide our hearts into all the other good things we can do for Him and others.

Our memory verse for this month is Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied, (point to your mouth)
'Love (hug yourself)
the Lord your God (point upwards)
with all your heart (place your hand over your heart)
and with all your soul (form an "O" with your hand on your chest)
and with all your mind. (point to your head)

To reinforce this lesson at home, at random intervals during the day when you are with your child, smile up at Heaven, open your arms wide as though you want to give God a hug, and proclaim, "I love you, God!"  Don't just pretend, really say it out loud to God.  Let your child copy your words and actions if he or she chooses. 


Your Land of Promise child (kindergarten through fifth grade) learned that we should honor others more than ourselves (I Samuel 18:1-4 & 5-9).  Prince Jonathan illustrated this concept perfectly when he cheered for his friend David's success instead of becoming jealous the way King Saul did.  Jonathan honored his friend David.

Your child learned that she shouldn't only honor adults or those in authority.  She can honor her friends, too.  Honor is defined as letting someone know that you see how valuable they really are.  She can honor her friends by cheering when they win a contest that she wanted to win, or by playing whatever game together that her friend wants to play instead of insisting on playing what she wants to play.  We as adults can honor our spouses, friends or co-workers in the same ways: by cheering and being genuinely happy when we hear that a friend gets to enjoy a sunny vacation in the middle of winter; by congratulating our co-worker who just won employee of the month - again; and by happily letting our spouse pick his or her favorite restaurant or TV show two times in a row (or even three times *gasp*).

Our memory verse for this month is "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10

At church, the concept of honoring someone else was illustrated by a karate visual of bowing to your Sensai.  To keep the concept of honoring others fresh in your child's heart, begin playfully bowing karate-style to each other whenever you leave each other and see each other again - possibly even every time you enter or leave a room that the other person is in.  This could produce lots of laughter, and laughter is a great way to embed any lesson deeply!