24. Messed Up

Props: Messed up drawing (as above), set of coloured pens/pencils

Hello boys and girls! I wonder if any of you like drawing? You do? Look at this set of coloured pens! And you might have seen those large tins of coloured pencils ... wonderful! I like sheets of coloured paper and cardboard too. I remember when I was in primary school, I was very good at drawing. One day I drew a thatched cottage with a pretty garden around it. The teacher was so impressed she asked the whole class to gather around to look at it. That was good!

Now a year ago my wife and I moved into a new house. I've drawn a nice picture of it. It was a big tree in front, the sun is shining, and I'm in it too, walking the dog. Would you like to see it? [Produce drawing] What do you think?

[You should get various responses. If the children are quiet, you can encourage them ... what do you think of the square sun? how many legs has the dog got? I had a little girl who couldn't stop exclaiming that the house was upside down! Just accept the responses.]

Well, it seems as though I made a few mistakes with my drawing ... in fact, I really messed it up!

We mess up our lives sometimes ... we fight with a brother or sister, or we say some nasty thing that we are sorry about but can't take back. Sometimes our whole life just seems to be a muddle ... a bit like my drawing!

But we can learn from our mistakes. And we are especially lucky.

• We have a God who forgives us for the wrong things we do.

• We have the Lord Jesus who showed us the sort of lives that we should live.

• And we have the Holy Spirit who helps us make the right decisions every day.

Next time I'll draw a better drawing, remembering all the helpful things you've told me.

Let's pray. Loving Father, we thank you for your love. We thank you too for forgiving us when we do naughty things. And help us live every day for you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Adapted from http://www.funandgames.org/drama/DramaTalks.htm