- Can anyone share about a time when you were lost—perhaps in a store, the hallways of a new school, on a trip with your family, or elsewhere? (Answers will vary. Be prepared to share your own experience.)
- What does it feel like to be unsure of where you are or how to get to your destination? (Answers will vary: scary, confusing, frustrating.)
Share this video with your students [2:51].
Alice In Wonderland Chesire [sic] Cat Song Lyrics (Full Scene)
Alice needed to know which way she ought to go, but the signs on the trees pointed her in several different directions: this way, that way, up, down, go back. The Cheshire Cat was the only one around for her to ask directions. He knew she was looking for the White Rabbit, but his directions were confusing.
- Can you think of a time when you were given two sets of directions or advice for the same situation, but the directions or advice were totally opposite? How did you know who to follow or which directions to use? (Answers will vary. This may be difficult for preteens to process. Give them plenty of time to think; again, be prepared with your own experience. They will probably cite times when friends wanted them to do something when their parents told them to do something differently.)
One thing the Cheshire Cat said that made sense was, “If it doesn’t matter where you want to go, it really doesn’t matter which way you go.”
- When have you felt like you did not know where to go or what to do next? (Answers will vary. Students may talk about issues with friends or family members; be sure students don’t overshare personal information.)
Many decisions about where to go involve more than needing directions for what road to take. They are about what words to speak, what actions to take, or what to do with our lives.
Like Alice, we may find ourselves in situations where we do not know where to go or what to do next. In the Book of Genesis, we see a great example of where to get 100% reliable directions for the path of life. Let’s take a look at Abraham’s experience.
