“Lent Challenge: Push Publish” February 12
On Ash Wednesday this week, our 8th grade small group met. Right now we are going through some of the amazing chicks in God’s Word. Each girl picked their chick at the end of 2015.
As 2016 kicked off, we have had an 8th grader present their “God chick” each Wednesday.
Hannah was the topic of our conversation this week and we had much to learn from her life. We pulled some questions from this awesome resource:
As the girls went on their treasure hunt in God’s Word for their “God chick,” we asked them to answer a few questions:
“What is her story?”
“What was her greatest joy?”
“What was her greatest sorrow?”
“How can we apply lessons learned from her life to our lives?”
The short version of Hannah’s story was that she was barren. Her husband had children from another woman, who mocked her in her sadness. Hannah chose to get “better instead of bitter.”
How did she do that?
We celebrated Hannah for taking her requests to God before man, for her persistent prayers and for keeping her word to God when she received her baby boy blessing, Samuel. God gave her Samuel and she gave her greatest treasure right back to God.
After much discussion we agreed:
Hannah’s greatest joy was seeing God answer her prayers, having Samuel, as well as more children.
Hannah’s greatest sorrow was her barrenness and the mockery she underwent.
Hannah’s decisions to take her request to God over man and to believe God’s goodness, while rejecting bitterness and self pity, were lessons we felt were most applicable to our lives.
Hannah remembered God’s faithfulness in giving her a child and responded by being faithful back to God.
We know Hannah’s legacy because it is written down. God’s Word is full of stories of God’s faithfulness, which builds our own faith.
For Lent, we chose to keep a record of God’s faithfulness in our own lives by starting a “Gratitude Journal.”
For the next 40 days of Lent, inspired by Hannah’s legacy, we are choosing, as a group, to individually REMEMBER the times God has been faithful and shown up in our own lives, to keep a record in writing and share what HE has done.
Will you join us?
REMEMBER!
How has God shown up in your life?
Write it down, push publish, and SHARE!
To God Be all the Glory!
THE REST OF THE STORY:
The last thing I read before bed on Ash Wednesday was a text and photo from one of our 8th grade girls.
She told me she had gone to bed praying the words “guide me” over and over. She then opened her Bible to this “God Wink.”
She recognized immediately that the God of the universe was speaking her love language. He heard her prayer. He kept HIS promise that “if you seek me you will find me if you seek me with all your heart.”
She sought; she found; she wrote it down, and she shared!
My prayer is constantly to see the next generation hunger and thirst for righteousness, for a generation to rise up seeking God first, keeping childlike faith and growing in wisdom, while pursuing the love of their life, Jesus, who loved them FIRST!
I got to see a glimpse of that played out in my good night text and picture!
I prayed; HE answered; I wrote it down and
PUSHED PUBLISH!
GoGod
About Katie Wilson
Where my faith and creativity collide! A freedom freelancer, prayerful painter and clarion for Christ. #amwriting #Compel Forgiven and Free Living a life that says: COME AND SEE!
