What Happened to all the See-Saws?

What Happened to All the See-Saws?
If you are of a certain age you most likely remember a playground or park with see-saws.  Several years ago in an effort to make playgrounds safer, see-saws were taken away.  (Some playgrounds don’t even have swings anymore…don’t get me started on that trend!)

Anyway…because of the no see-saw rule, many children have not experienced the power rush of jumping from the top, sending your see-saw mate crashing to the ground.  Neither have they encountered the awesome experience of being that friend who, while falling to the ground, has to decide in a split second whether to be okay hitting the ground or risk trying to get his feet down fast enough to catch himself.  (Side note: I was the kid who BEGGED my friends not to make me fall before I would even agree to get on the see-saw)  Yep, gone are the days of risking life and limb in the pursuit of fun.

As I ‘wax nostalgic’ for a bit, I did wonder what our kids are losing - all in an attempt to keep them safer.  This reality became apparent to me two Sundays ago as I was reviewing the topics we’ve covered in the “It’s a Mystery” series. 

Introducing kids to the idea of how God keeps all things in balance, specifically being both a God of answers and mystery seemed like a large topic to tackle.  Since I’m very visual myself, I’ve tried to help children connect a visual with this concept.  A simple balance scale seemed like my best bet.  For kids who have seen these in school, it was a great option.  For others, who have never seen one, I had to teach them what it was, how it was used, and what it meant to be balanced before I could use it to demonstrate my point.
  
I couldn’t relate the mechanical genius of a balance scale to the see-saw because no one knew what I was talking about.  Literally…I don’t remember a single child who knew what I was describing when I referenced the see-saw. Big deal- right? 

Probably not a big deal, but then again I think the see-saw is the perfect picture of another layer of God’s balance- and the balance He wants us to keep in our minds and hearts.  Picture this…
If a person doesn’t fully understand that God has the answers; if he/she thinks they do, they are out of balance.  Any person who thinks they have all the answers themselves will also think they don’t need God.  They are what we as Christians would call- “lost.”  On the other side of that is a person who thinks that life is one big mystery- there is no purpose to it at all; we’re all just spinning in space until we die.  These people are also lost. 

If we’re doing it right, we’re staying right in the middle of both- we’re in balance.  We know that God is a God of answers, that He wants us to know and understand Him and His world.  At the same time, we understand that God is a God of mystery- His thoughts are not our thoughts.   

What does this have to do with see-saws?  I think- if we’re really honest, our minds and hearts do an up and down with this balance thing.  Depending on what is going on in our lives, we’re either trusting God fully for the answers, or we’re questioning His mysteries.  Leaning too far to one side or the other is a dangerous thing- much like jumping off the top or plummeting to the bottom.  Wherever we are, we need to ask God to keep us in balance.  We want to ride but we want to be safe…better yet, secure. 

If you think about it, and actually have memories of riding a see-saw, wasn’t it great fun to sit in the middle and just enjoy the up and down with no fear of falling off?  

This Week’s Announcements:
Help still needed!
We are so blessed to have more than 80(!) volunteers who said YES to serving your children.
Even with that incredible number, we are still in need of help in certain rooms/areas. 
Our specific needs are:
An adult male to lead 3rd-5th grade boys as a small group leader at 9am
Nursery help at 9am and 11am 

What God is Teaching Us:
This section will have links to the previous Sunday’s lessons.  Feel free (I encourage it!) to open, read, and review with your children.  Click on the links below to view our lessons from 10/19 and 10/26.
*Note that no lessons are included for 4k-5th grade for 10/26.  This is because small groups did not meet; children were engaged in outreach projects instead. 
This link is no longer available

Funny Things Kids Do and Say…
While leading the outreach project with the 4k/K children this past Sunday, the leader was telling the story of the 10 Lepers who Jesus healed.  (If you don’t remember the story, look it up in Luke 17) As she told the story, one child yelled out, “I know about lepers!  They have spots so they can hide in the jungle.”  Hmm…I think that’s leopards- just a little different.