Take a sweet field trip with the True Girl and Born to Be Brave teams to discover and embrace the need for wise counsel, and explore the importance of
discernment when choosing whose advice we follow.
SETTING:
Kitchen counter
GETTING YOUR HEART READY:
Scientists estimate that the average adult makes 35,000 decisions each day. Some are relatively inconsequential with the correct decision being crystal clear. Others can leave us battling temptation or confusion as we try to decide. We all need guidance to make wise choices. Where should we look for help? The simple answer is Scripture. God has given us His Word for guidance. So, read your Bible! That’s it! Mic drop– end of lesson! Right?
It would be so convenient if every choice we faced could be well made by just reading a verse. But, it’s not that simple. Scripture must also be understood and applied. And if you’ve ever read your Bible to learn about how to make a decision, you’ll discover our need for wisdom and sound advice– or, as the Bible calls it, counsel. We can receive wisdom and counsel from the Holy Spirit but the Bible teaches that we should also be advised by fellow believers and elders in the faith. And it’s stated over and over again. Look at these verses (Proverbs 11:14, Proverbs 12:15, Proverbs 15:22, Proverbs 12:5)
It’s pretty clear that God considers counsel rather important. We should not make important decisions rashly or on our own. That last verse also warns us against harmful counsel. It uses the word wicked, but we should also be on guard against any form of unwise advice. Are you trying to decide whether to move or not? How to parent your child? What church to attend? We never outgrow wise advice. And one great way to teach your children to reach out for your advice is to model the need for it by seeking it when you’re making a decision. You want your child coming to you for advice when they experience friendship drama, have dreams they want to pursue, or face temptation. Don’t you?
Well, this one might be more easily caught than taught. Your Family Impact Activity this week will help you present this concept to your child as you make ice cream together. (We didn’t just make ice cream. We traveled two hours to learn how to make it from an expert. We sought advice. See what we did there!?) We’ll provide a recipe that has been created by a trustworthy adviser that knows how to make ice cream and wants you to be successful in your attempt. We then tested the recipe to make sure it works well before we decided to share it with you. It will be important to mention that as you create your sweet treat with your child.
So what does an ice cream recipe have to do with decision making and Christian living?
Well, it's just another great object lesson! It will help your child understand that when they need advice–and making ice cream is just one area where they’ll seek help— it’s imperative their recipe comes from the right person. They also need to test it to make sure it works! GETTING THE RIGHT RECIPE: Our friend Shelly Fuge of Udder Bliss is a well known, experienced ice cream maker that works hard to make pure, delicious ice cream. She is also very excited to help you make some too. You and your child should be able to say similar things about anyone you look to for counsel. Consider the person's character, values, and motives.
TEST THAT RECIPE:
When we were given the ice cream recipe, we made it ourselves. It was rather simple to determine we were successful– it tasted really good! But how are we to test advice? In a lot of cases we don’t get to try a decision before we make it. Our ice cream metaphor does break down just a little here, but there are definitely ways to test the counsel we receive. Let’s look at three.
The next time you face difficult or confusing decisions, take comfort in knowing that God does not intend that you make them alone. He tells you in His Word that you should find help. He’s given you the Holy Spirit as a helper, and elders in the faith as counselors too. Stay in the Word, pray for wisdom and understanding, seek sound advice, and be discerning.
THERE ARE THREE GOALS DURING THIS FAMILY IMPACT ACTIVITY:
- Spend time together making a simply delicious treat using ingredients and items you may already have in your kitchen. You can download the whole recipe and conversation guide here.
- Discover the Truth of wise counsel together and set your child on the path to finding trustworthy advisors who’ll give them rock-solid God-honoring advice.
- Show off that sweetness!!! Post photos on social media, being sure to tag Born to be Brave (Facebook) and True Girl (Facebook or Instagram) or email us a photo of you with permission to share it on our social media pages. Be sure you’re wearing your camp shirt and/or doing one of the Camp Staycation Family Impact Activities. You will be entered to win our Ooey Gooey Ultimate Graham Prize worth over $500.
CONVERSATION QUESTIONS:
While you're shaking your ice cream, you’ll have a great opportunity to start a meaningful conversation. Are there any wise spiritual mentors in your life that have influenced you? Any accidentally unwise? Tell your children some stories of good or bad advice you've gotten or good or bad decisions you've made. Then, when your ice cream is ready, talk about how important it is to be discerning– how to seek wise counselors and recognize sound advice. Consider re-reading Proverbs 12:5, and using some of the following questions to guide your conversation.
ASK YOUR CHILD:
- Is making Ice cream as difficult as you thought?
- Could you have figured it out on your own? Would it have been more difficult? Take longer? Waste ingredients?
- If you saw mustard in the ingredients list, would you trust the recipe?
- Is it wise to ask a butcher for an ice cream recipe? Why not? (He may be a wonderful, well-intentioned man, but what are the chances that his counsel on ice cream will be wise?)
- How much more important is it to seek advice when we’re trying to build a friendship, make a decision about the direction of our life, or overcome temptation? • Would it have taken longer?
- Would you have wasted ingredients?
PRAY:
End this Family Impact Activity in prayer. Thank the Lord for His counsel and His Spirit. Thank him for the wise counselors who have given you sound advice. Ask Him to give you and your family the humility to ask for help when needed and offer genuine, unselfish advice when asked. Pray for wisdom and discernment when giving or seeking advice; that your family’s only motive be to speak Truth, and help others live a life that honors and glorifies God.
REGISTER NOW:
Mark your calendar for July 24th for our Camp Staycation Online Family Campfire! Registration is NOW OPEN, and you won’t want to miss this great event for your entire family! Each week, we’ll release another Family Impact Activity over on the Camp Staycation homepage so your crew can make the most of this summer at home.
