Family Discipleship Activity: Empty Pursuits

Chasing Bubbles

Go outside and blow bubbles! (If you’re super ambitious, make your own bubble solution—see recipe below.)

Bubbles Recipe:

• 1 quart (4 cups) warm water
• 1/2 cup sugar or corn syrup
• 1/2 cup dishwashing liquid (Dawn is a great choice.)

Combine the sugar and the warm water. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the dishwashing liquid and stir again. Dip your bubble wand and blow away. Some ideas for other types of wands include slotted spoons, funnels, Mason jar lid rings, and pipe cleaners molded into shapes.

Talk about it:

• What happened when you tried to catch the bubbles? (They popped.)
• Bubbles are fun, but they don’t last long. They are temporary, not permanent. Things are like bubbles; they don’t last.
• Will things make us happy? Why or why not? (Things break; they are temporary; the happiness they bring won’t last; etc.) It’s not wrong to have things, but they are not enough to bring us lasting joy.

How Many?

Send kids to their rooms to count their toys and then report back the number.

Ask: Do you have enough toys? Why or why not?

How many toys do you need to be satisfied?

It’s not wrong to own things or enjoy them. But if we make getting more and more stuff the main thing, it will never be enough. Always wanting more things will not make us happy. Solomon realized that it is not wrong to have stuff, or enjoy food and drink, or be smart or even to work hard; in fact, God gave us all these things to enjoy. (1 Timothy 6:17.) These things might make us happy for awhile, but they are NOT ENOUGH! Doing God’s will and putting Him first will bring true joy!

Lasting Things

Share a simple object lesson about the most important thing in life.

Stretch the string (or yarn or twine) across the room and tape it on both ends. (Make sure that the kids can easily reach it.)

This string represents time. Let’s pretend that it keeps going as far as you can imagine in both directions. It never ends.

Give each family member a piece of paper and ask them to write their name and birth date on it. Fold your piece of paper in half and lay it across the string. Tell them your life began on _________ (insert your birth date). Then allow them to one at a time lay their folded piece of paper on the string and say their birth date aloud.

We all had a beginning, but we will never have an end. God created us to live forever somewhere. How we live on this earth will determine the rest of our lives. We are tempted to just live for today— not to think about anything but what feels good or make us happy. What is really important is that which lasts forever. We will live forever somewhere and we must not get so focused on things and pleasures NOW that we forget about God or doing His will.