(5–8 minutes, easy set-up)
Learners will identify triumphs that believers can experience in the trials of life.
Provide a sheet of paper and pen for each learner.
Emphasize that most people learn more about themselves and their relationship with God as they journey through life’s ups and downs together. Distribute paper and pens to learners (or instruct them to complete this activity on the back of their worksheets).
Instruct learners to list across the top of their page difficult times they faced during each decade of their life. (Examples: In my 20s, my first engagement was broken; in my 30s, I had two miscarriages; in my 40s, I didn’t get the promotion I had been promised and ultimately had to leave the company; in my 50s, my parent(s) died; in my 60s, I fought cancer.) Encourage learners to list under each situation what they learned about God during that time. Allow three to five minutes for learners to complete their lists. Call for volunteers to share what they learned about God in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. Ask: How did each situation strengthen your faith in God? How did getting through one trial equip you to face future trials? Allow time for learners to respond, and then ask: How can we use these experiences to encourage others who are enduring trials today? Conclude by praying that learners will look back on the trials in their lives with joy because they can now see how those trials have matured their faith in God. Then, pray that learners will be ready to share what they’ve learned about God in those trials with others who are having trials of their own.