(10-15 minutes)
Learners will examine our tendency to cling to our possessions by reacting to the television show Hoarders.
(10–15 minutes)
Refer to the website for the A&E television show Hoarders at http://www.aetv.com/hoarders.
Inquire as to whether or not anyone in your group has ever watched the television show Hoarders on A&E. Invite a few Hoarders’ viewers to describe a typical episode for the rest of the group. If no one present has seen the show, briefly explain that Hoarders is a documentary television show where each episode is dedicated to a person’s inability to let go of possessions in his life is having an adverse affect on his living conditions. Experts in psychology and organization are brought in to assist the hoarder in working through his issues by identifying what is really important and ridding himself of everything else. If you have the capabilities, play a clip from the show or walk through one of the virtual room tours available at the Hoarders web site at http://www.aetv.com/hoarders. Emphasize, even when the subject of an episode recognizes that his life would be better without everything he has hoarded, he often still has an extremely difficult time letting go.
Ask: What are some things in our lives we might not really need yet cling to for security or comfort anyway? Allow for responses. Inquire as to why we have such difficulty letting go of these things. Say: Jesus doesn’t promise us safety, but He does offer us security in our relationship with Him. He asks us to give up everything else for His sake.