Home > Parenting > Family Devotionals > from Karen L. Maudlin
From the pages of Christian Parenting Today, Jan/Feb 2000
| Family Time with
God |
by Karen L. Maudlin.
Psy.D. |
February
Little Lambs
Look It Up
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the
wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the
flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares
nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep
know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down
my life for the sheep" (John 10:11-15).
Get Ready
Collect one large cotton ball for each family member. Write each person’s
first initial on their cotton ball "lamb" with a marker. You’ll also
need a picture of a shepherd. Use any picture of Jesus, a shepherd from your
Nativity set or have your children draw a shepherd and cut out the picture.
Talk It Over
Week 1: The Sheep
Place each cotton ball lamb in front of its family member. Place the picture
of the shepherd in the middle of your group. Talk together about what it
means to you that the Good Shepherd knows you by name. As you talk, have
each person put his or her lamb next to the shepherd. End your time by thanking
God for loving each of you so much.
Week 2: The Shepherd
Place the shepherd and sheep together in the center of your group. Describe
any "wolves" that came after you this week—temptations at school or work,
family conflicts. Were there times where you felt afraid? What does it mean
to you that the shepherd "lays down his life for the sheep?" As each person
talks, have one parent move the shepherd next to that person’s lamb.
End your time by asking Jesus to show you his protection in new ways.
Week 3: The Endangered
Sheep
Place the shepherd and the sheep together in the middle of your group. Ask
everyone to talk about a time when they trusted someone who turned out not
to be trustworthy. As each person talks, have him or her move his or her
lamb away from the shepherd. Then, have another family member softly call
that person by name as you move the shepherd to that sheep and bring it back
to the fold. End your time by thanking God for always seeking you out and
bringing you back to him.
Week 4: The One Who Knows
Us
Place the shepherd and sheep where they were for Week 2. What do you think
God knows about you? Are there things you don’t want God to know about
you? Ask each person to close his or her eyes as he or she silently gives
those things to God. While everyone’s eyes are closed, have one parent
take the shepherd figure and put it next to each person’s sheep, saying,
"I am the good shepherd; and I know you (name), and (name), you know me."
When you’re finished, thank God for knowing you and loving you so deeply.
Remember This
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep"
(John 10:11).
Karen L. Maudlin, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing
in family therapy. She also taught in a Montessori-based children’s
worship program at her church. She and her family live in Illinois.
Want More?
AGES 3-5:
Encourage everyone in the family to act like sheep. Say, "bah, bah, bah"
and wander around the house. Then have a parent be the shepherd and guide
each sheep by name from one side of the room to the other. Ask "How does
it feel to be guided? What are the ways you feel Jesus with you?"
AGES 6-9:
Think about the sheep that sees the wolf coming to the fold. How would the
sheep feel to see the hired hand run away, leaving them unprotected? How
would they feel seeing Jesus, the Good Shepherd, protecting them from the
wolf? Have your child write out the "Remember This" verse and memorize it
this month. If he wants a challenge, have him memorize verses 14 and 15 as
well.
AGES 10-14:
Explain to your child that without a shepherd, sheep will follow each other
off a cliff. Have your child think about times when she wandered away from
the Good Shepherd. Ask her to think about the ways God brought her back to
himself. Ask, "Who are the people in your life who help guide you down
God’s path?"
FAMILY:
If your family needs help following God right now, ask another family from
your church or other close friends to help "shepherd" you through this time.
Post the memory verse on your refrigerator and look at it as you learn to
put your trust in God. Together, talk about ways you can encourage each other
to follow the Good Shepherd.
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Copyright © 2000 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian
Parenting Today Magazine.
Click
here for reprint information on Christian Parenting Today.
Jan/Feb 2000, Vol. 12, No. 3, Page 52
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