Every day, no matter where you are or what you do, you encounter situations that require you to decide how you are going to find a solution. Sometimes, the situation is simple—will you eat cereal or a bagel for breakfast? Do you watch TV or play outside? Other times, the situations aren’t quite as simple—do you admit to doing something wrong, or do you try to cover it up? Do you apologize for hurting your friend’s feelings or ignore them?
Listen to these scenarios and think about what you might do if you were in these situations (as time allows, give students the opportunity to share possible solutions to each problem):
Your friend invites you for a sleepover on Friday night, but you have soccer practice every Friday night. What do you do?
After basketball practice, you go back to the locker room with the team to shower and change. When you’re getting dressed, you can’t find your shoes. What do you do?
You really want to invite a new classmate to come to your birthday party, but you’ve never talked to this person before. You’re worried they will say no. What do you do?
You’re taking a test and there’s no talking allowed. You’re writing your answers when your pencil breaks. What do you do?
You didn’t do your chores after school. Your parents are upset with you and saying they might take away your screentime for the week. What do you do?
- In each of the scenarios, was there just one solution to the problem? (No, there were a lot of different ways each problem could be solved.)
- What would you do if your idea to fix a problem didn’t work? (Try something different, get help from someone else, etc.)
When we’re faced with a problem, it’s important that we keep working to find a solution, even if that means we try ideas that may seem silly or crazy.
God has plans for each of us, and He uses all kinds of people and situations to accomplish His plans. Sometimes, the ways that God works may make sense to us, while at other times, we can be surprised by what God does. Today we’ll meet a man named Ezra. God had plans for Ezra, and He used some unexpected people to help Ezra accomplish those plans.