As students join your class, have students divide into small groups. Distribute supplies (or invite students to have them ready at home). If your class is meeting online, you can use the breakout room of your video chat software to divide students into groups. Encourage students to come up with sentences about things, people, etc. that they have faith in. This isn’t a deep spiritual list, but rather ways students have faith in something or someone every day, for example, “I have faith that this chair will hold me.” “I have faith in my parents to provide for me.” “I have faith that when I go home, my dog will be happy to see me.” “I have faith that if I study for this test I will pass it,” etc.

Regather and invite each group to share their favorite sentences about what they have faith in. Keep the sharing time short and allow for fun and silliness where appropriate.

• Is it possible for anyone to live without faith in someone or something? Explain. (Answers will vary. Most students will come to the conclusion that all people have faith in something whether gravity, the laws of nature, love, justice, etc.)

We all must live by faith in some way. Let’s take a look at a young woman who puts her faith in her dog, Dash.

Share this short video with your students: Let’s see how a blind girl navigate an escalator with her seeing eye dog! #shorts #blindness

Invite students to answer the following questions.

• If Dash was not consistently faithful in helping this young woman, would that hinder how much trust she has in him? For example, what if Dash let her step on the escalator at the wrong moment and caused a tripping hazard. What difference does it make that Dash is consistently faithful in helping her each day? Explain your answer. (Answers will vary. If Dash wasn’t a constant help to her, then the young woman would lose her trust in him, and her life would be very different! Some students may say Dash is her constant helper and friend.) 
• Have you ever had to put your faith in someone else and rely on him or her the way this young woman does? (Answers will vary. Invite students to share about this person. Be prepared to share your own experience.) 
• What might have happened if this person had let you down? Would you have been able to trust him or her the next time you needed them? (Invite students to share their thoughts. Most will say if the person has proven to be trustworthy numerous times then they still may be able to try to trust him or her again, however, consistency would be key here in the trust process. A person who constantly is not trustworthy would not be a person they would rely on.) 

In this video, we saw a young woman putting her trust in Dash, who was a faithful and trustworthy helper.

Today we’re going to talk about a man who faced great difficulty. Let’s see how this story of faithfulness plays out.