“The fruit of the spirit is LOVE,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
(Galatians 5:22-23)
In the last post, we wrote about the fact that “the fruit of the spirit” refers to all the good behaviors that
the Holy Spirit can bring about in our lives when allow Him to direct our
thoughts and actions.
Now,
we will focus on the first of the nine fruits listed in the Scriptures:
LOVE.
With the help of the Holy Spirit,
we can show love to others: not just to our friends and family members, but to
people we don’t know, and even to our enemies!
Jesus
instructs us in John 13:34: “Love others as I have loved you.” One of the ways
we can demonstrate our love for others is to pray for them. Today’s craft gives
us a chance to think about the people we want to pray for, and we can use it as
a reminder to hold them up in prayer each day!
Here are
instructions for the craft. Older children may be able to complete the
steps independently, while younger children will need some help. You can see a
sample of the finished craft at the end of the instructions.
Step 1: Fold a piece of paper in half, top
to bottom. (Copy paper or construction paper work well.)
Step 2: Place your hand on top of the paper with your
pinky finger along the fold. Use a pen to outline around your hand.
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Step 3: Cut around the outline of your hand. I cut well
inside the marked line so the ink didn’t show. Make sure you leave the left
side of your pinky outline uncut; this is where the two sides of the paper
will remain attached.
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Step 4:
Unfold the paper, and write the name of someone you are praying for on each of
the fingers. You may include specific names of relatives, neighbors, and
friends, or you may pray for more general groups of people, such as “doctors
and nurses,” “sick people,” “people who are hungry,” or “people in our
government.”
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You may also
include the verse from John 13:34 if you would like: “Love others as I have
loved you,” as shown in the photo. Color and decorate any way you would like,
and don’t forget to use your folded hands booklet to remind you to show LOVE for
others through the act of prayer.
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We have time to pause before we speak or act. We can ask ourselves: "Are these words or actions coming from a place of LOVE, or from a place of anger, irritation, fear, or boredom?" When we shift to speaking and acting from a place of LOVE, we will find that our words and actions toward our family, our friends, and other people around us will shift also.
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If you missed the post introducing the fruit of the spirit, you can find it here:
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