The Heart of the Father

No one is perfect. We’ve all made mistakes and we’re all going to make more. Peter made a lot of mistakes. He was impulsive and often acted without thinking.

When you don’t take the time to think carefully before saying things or taking action, you often get confused and make mistakes. When you take the time to think, you avoid getting into trouble. Here’s a little trick to help you. Before you say anything or take action, ask yourself these questions: What would Jesus say? Or what would Jesus do? Then do like Jesus would do and you will avoid trouble. Since you are not perfect, sometimes you don’t do the right thing and get into trouble, say things that are going to go beyond your thinking, hurt people with your words and maybe even by your actions. It is sad but the good news is that we have a wonderful Father who loves us, redeems our mistakes and forgives us. When you make a mistake, ask the Father for forgiveness and ask him if there are any actions you should take to fix things. If so, do it. Sometimes you have to apologize to the people you hurt. It’s not easy to do, but it’s essential if we want to keep our hearts pure. Never forget that you are loved by God the Father, even if you make the greatest mistake. His love for you remains the same and he is always ready to forgive you and help you.

Prayer

“Father, thank you because your love for me does not depend on my actions, but only depends on who you are, a faithful Father who loves me at all times. Even with mistakes, you love me and your desire is to forgive me and help me. Thank you that your love for me is perfect. I love you. Amen.”

Application

1. Ask the children to write down on a paper the mistakes they have made and are not proud of.
2. Then ask them to ask the Father how they could make up for their mistake.
3. Then, if there is no action they can take to make up for their mistake, ask them to simply ask the Father’s forgiveness so that they may receive his forgiveness.