How to Play
The jigsaw puzzle(s) should be slightly challenging for your players, so they require patience to complete. But they should still manageable within the time that you have allocated for this activity.
You can do this activity individually or in groups. But avoid having too many players in each group so that everyone can be actively involved in completing the puzzle together.
Challenge everyone/team to complete the puzzle within the given time.
Award prizes to those teams that complete the puzzle regardless of time taken.
Bible Lesson – Patience
Discuss
1. Did you manage to complete the puzzle in time?
Was it easy? Difficult?
What were some of the difficulties that you encountered?
2. Did you enjoy putting together the puzzle? Tell us how you felt?
3. Would you describe yourself as a patient person? Tell us more? Give us some examples of how you were patient/impatient.
Say
Patience is the quality of waiting calmly without complaining.
Discuss
4. What are some Bible passages that you can think of that talk about patience?
Read
Colossians 3:12; Ephesians 4:2; 1 Corinthians 13:4; Proverbs 15:18
Discuss
5. What does “clothe yourself with patience” mean?
6. Why do you think God wants us to clothe ourselves with patience?
7. Why does God want us to be patient with one another?
8. When is it easy to be patient with someone?
9. When is it difficult to be patient with someone?
10. Do you sometimes get impatient with yourself? Tell us more.
11. How can we become more patient, even with difficult people?
Read
Galatians 5:16,22-23
Discuss
12. What does it mean to walk by the Spirit?
13. If we walk by the Spirit, what will the Spirit produce in our lives?
Conclude
Patience is the quality of waiting calmly without complaining.
Sometimes this is easy – like when we are doing things that we enjoy or dealing with people we like, or when we have something to look forward.
But it can become challenging when we are doing something that is difficult or takes very long to do, and when we are dealing with difficult people or someone we don’t really like.
God wants us to be patient not just with ourselves, but also with one another. If we walk closely with God and yield to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit produces good fruit in our lives, including patience!
Optional: This next section deals specifically with patience with God
Discuss
14. Do you sometimes get impatient with God? Tell us more.
15. Why do you think sometimes God takes so long to answer our prayers?
Read
Ecclesiastes 3:1,11; James 1:2-4; Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 40:30-31
Say
Sometimes God seems to be taking an extra-long time to answer our prayers.
When this happens, we need to examine ourselves, because sometimes it is our own doubts, sins or sinful desires that hinder our prayers.
But oftentimes we simply do not understand the reason for the delay in God’s answering our prayers, especially when the thing that we are praying for seems perfectly in line with what God wants for us. Nonetheless we must continue to wait on him and trust that he will make all things beautiful in his time. He may be testing and refining us, and he will sustain us if we continue to trust in him.
