A NIGHT TO REMEMBER ◽ HOME
I remember when I read that bruises go away by being absorbed into the blood, I was so intrigued! And wowed! You bump into something that causes this nasty looking wound…and over time, that big blog of hurt is absorbed back into the blood, and the skin looks new again. So why not talk about this with the kids as there are such good applications to this knowledge!
Preparation: Lay out a few bandages or Band-Aids. And maybe a bit of concealer. That’s it! This devo is for kids to just show up, share and listen, and give thanks. If you have a bruised banana, great! Let the kids see it.
How many have ever had a bruise? Does anyone have one now that they can show us? What happened? Bruises are caused from some sort of injury. Maybe we bump into a table or we get hit by a ball and then we see it – the dark and purple spot on our skin! Who likes to get a bruise? No one! (If anyone has a bruise, let them tell about it – or about one they had before.)
Did you know we can get an unseen bruise on our heart when someone is not nice to us and it hurts our feelings? When we, or someone else, says unkind words it bruises our heart. It hurts. And we need a way to heal those kinds of bruises, too. Has anyone here ever been bruised or hurt by words someone else has said? (Share)
Do BandAids help bruises? No! Why not? (Let the kids answer). Bruises don’t cut the skin or cause bleeding, because the blood is underneath the skin and it needs time to heal. Sometimes, parts of our body don’t need bandages, but rather time and natural healing. That’s the way God made our bodies to work! (Ask the kids about the BandAids and why they don’t help bruises.)
How can we avoid getting bruised and bruising others? We are going to get bruised in our bodies because we live in a world of things to bump into! And we will get bruised from others and we will end up bruising (hurting) others, because we make mistakes! But as we become aware of our surroundings and see others with love, bruises will happen less! (Ask the kids to share how they get bruised the most.)
That’s why we all need the blood…the blood in our bodies to heal our bruises…
and the blood of Jesus to heal our hearts! And our bodies!
Did you know that Jesus was bruised and broken? Isaiah 53:5 says that He was bruised for our iniquities – all the wrongful and sinful things in this world. And then we read that by his stripes we are healed. In other words, Jesus took all the hate and evil and hurt in the world upon himself in his body and soul…and sacrificed his life so that we could experience healing, inside and out!
When you get a bruise, do you try to hide it? Some people do, because they feel a bruise is ugly. People use makeup or refuse to wear clothes that reveal their bruise. We don’t like the way bruises look…or feel. (Show the kids how concealer can hide but not remove…only Jesus can heal us completely.)
Have we been bruised or have we bruised anyone this week? (Spend time sharing).
Let’s pray together and give thanks for the way the blood of Jesus absorbed and took all of our pain, so that we can have healing…if not here on earth…then forever with Him!
Jesus, forgive us if we have ever bruised or hurt someone with our words.
And please forgive those who have hurt us, and heal our bruised hearts.
We also ask for healing for physical bruising when we get hurt,
and thank you for your blood that you shed on the cross…for our healing.
Amen.