‘He came near, and kissed him. He smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said, “Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed. God give you of the dew of the sky, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers. Let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you. Blessed be everyone who blesses you.” ‘ Genesis 27:27-29
Spend time in nature
My child collects sticks so we have a couple around the yard. This Sabbath try a little activity that helps develop hand eye coordination skills. Find some flexible sticks and tie the top to the bottom, with some strong string, to make a circle. If you already have a few rings around your house you can use them. The goal of this game will be to stand a few feet away from the stationary rings and spear through a stick through the center of the ring. The bigger the ring the easier. Once the children have mastered throwing the stick at a stationary item, see how well they do hitting their mark when the ring is rolling. I have seen this game done with a ring that was about as wide as an index finger and with the spear thrower twelve feet away from the target. The more times you play the game the better your aim will get. When becoming soldiers in God’s army we have a single sword, the Bible, the Bible helps us to focus on God. Through study each day we see who our creator is and the foundation of His character. No matter how fast the outside world is spinning keeping our eyes on Jesus keeps us grounded.
Tip
Hand-eye coordination helps children track the movements of their hands with their eyes, this is essential for reading and decoding. This is not the first time studies have found physical activity helps in brain development.
Do something creative
Have you decorated a Valentines’ Day Box? Today create a Blessings Box you can keep all year. Take the wooden boxes and paint them uniquely for each person, let their imagination guide their paintbrushes. It is very likely they won’t look perfect, but it is a box to represent them and it’s okay to have imperfections. Hopefully, they will get excited as they create the box and add pieces of their interests sprinkled throughout the artwork. The best part about making the box a little more durable is throughout the year parents can write how the child has been a blessing or prayers for them and secretly put them in the boxes. On a certain day gather together and open the blessing boxes and read the messages inside.
What you will need:
- A small wooden box for each child/person
- Non-washable paints
- Various crafting items
- Hot glue and glue gun
Family worship idea
Before worship bless each child with a blessing that is uniquely created just for them. Shower them with reasons you are proud of them, ways they are independent of their siblings, and the characteristics you love about them. For worship read through Genesis 27, when Isaac blesses Jacob. Jacob obtained the blessing through deceit. “That is how the moral life is. We learn by making mistakes. We live life forward, but we understand it only looking back. Only then do we see the wrong turns we inadvertently made. This discovery is sometimes our greatest moment of moral truth. For each of us there is a blessing that is ours. That was true not just of Isaac but also Ishmael, not just Jacob but also Esau. The moral could not be more powerful. Never seek your brother’s blessing. Be content with your own.” Chabad.org Each child is loved beyond our comprehension, they are loved for their good traits, and despite their faults. God loves them so much so He gave up His own Son so He could see your children in heaven, so they could taste from the Tree of Life.
Personal thoughts
Isaac was going blind and could not see who stood before him, so he took advantage of his other senses. Isaac felt Jacob, he smelled the trickster, he ate the venison, because he knew he couldn’t trust his eyes and the boy sounded like Jacob. Isaac knew the voices of his sons so he was determined to make sure he was blessing his beloved son, but it was by faith Jacob was blessed (Hebrews 11:20). When searching for God we also should implore everything we have. The wisest man to live once said, “I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with. I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind. For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” Ecclesiastes 1:13,17-18. The closer we draw near to God the closer our character will become to God’s. It is inevitable we will see those around us as God sees them. We will see the road well-traveled, wide and smooth, and see the folly it brings. Our vision will be changed. Isaac allowed his own desire to override what his ears were telling him. He was deceived, but only after he convinced himself Esau was the one standing in front of him. Sometimes we allow ourselves to believe a lie because it benefits us, but we should measure everything against the word of God. And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11: 6 (Psalm 105:3-4) (Isaiah 55:6-7) (Luke 13:24-25) (Amos 5:4-6)
Hiding His word in you ❤
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8
Sabbath Catalyst 