Aim to understand the importance of responsibility

Aim
* To understand the importance of responsibility

Materials
• Story – More Valuable than Gold, (from Ten Best Jewish Children’s Stories, by Daniel Sperber
* children’s worksheet
* Divine Principle extracts on growth and responsibility
* Growth charts

Lesson Outline
1. Review the Three Blessings
2. Indirect and Direct Dominion of God
3. Family Rules
4. More Valuable than Gold
5. Activity – worksheet
6. Conclusion
7. Prayer

1) The Three Blessings
God gave us 3 Blessings. What are they? To be Fruitful, Multiply and Have Dominion
First – perfect our character
Second – create an ideal family
Third – have loving dominion over the creation

To perfect our character we need to develop a loving heart. Our mind and body should unite centred on God’s love. But of course this takes time and it develops in our relationships in the family. Our heart grows through the different realms of heart starting with the children’s, then siblings, husband wife and finally the parents We can’t learn to love our brothers and sisters if we haven’t as children learned to love our parents. As with everything in life our heart grows through three stages, the formation, growth and completion stages.

children – formation stage
sibling & conjugal – growth stage
parental – completion stage

2) Indirect and Direct Dominion of God
Indirect dominion – a time to follow rules
On the way to perfecting our character, we have an indirect relationship with God. It is a time to learn God’s words and it is our responsibility to put them into practise We cannot fully understand
God’s heart, but we need to trust God and follow God’s words. That is why you must also trust and follow your parents. You cannot fully understand your parents heart, so you should trust them and follow what they teach you, because they love you and know what is best for you. It is the time to follow rules.

Direct Dominion of God – one with God’s love
When we pass through the growing period, we reach a direct relationship with God. Then we become one in heart with God, We feel and think the way God feels and thinks. Our mind and body
are one. We are ruled by God’s love. At this stage we can’t do things that would make God sad, because we would know how God feels and we would feel the same sadness.

3) Family Rules
What rules do you have in your family? Make a list. Think of different kinds of rules. Example: mealtimes, bedtimes, toys, playing games, manners etc. Why do you have these rules? What is your
responsibility? What happens if you break a rule? How to they help you to grow?

4) Story – More Valuable than Gold
This story teaches one of the 10 commandments – honour your father and mother. This is God’s rule to help us to grow our heart. It is very important.

5) Complete the worksheet
* Fill in the missing words. Write five rules in your family that help you to grow.
To grow really means to grow our heart and become loving people. When we grow in heart we can reach perfection and experience God’s love directly. Before that we experience God’s love indirectly by following His word. We grow through our own effort by learning and practising God’s word. For a child this means learning God’s word from parents.

6) Conclusion
Review the aim of the lesson
* to understand the importance of responsibility
In order to grow grow it is our responsibility to learn and follow God’s word.

7) Prayer