Friday, April 18, 2014

Glitter and Glue



An idea:

I was trying to think of a concrete way to demonstrate the difference between 'joy' and 'happiness' to my friends - a Sunday-school class of intellectually-disabled adults.  I was going to use the scripture


If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; 
just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. 
These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, 
and that your joy may be made full. 
This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 
(John 15: 10-12).  

We were going to talk about things that made us happy - and I was going to try to direct them to understand that happiness is from happenstance - in-the-moment and fleeting.  Sparkly.  But joy, joy comes from deep inside.  Joy comes from the knowledge that God loves us, that Jesus died for us, that we are valued.  It allows us to turn out and value others, to survive difficulties, to choose blessing over insult, and peace over distress.  Joy is of the Kingdom.  Happiness comes from the world.

But these words would only mean something if I could show these friends somehow.  Friends like my daughter with Down Syndrome, like the young man with Fragile X, the woman with William's, the couple without anything at all except differently-abled intellect that puts them on the fringes of capability.

So I thought.  And I found something in my daughter's craft box.  Glitter.  And glue.  And the idea came to me...  Show them glitter (happiness) on a paper without the glue.  Demonstrate as we discuss what makes us happy.  Lift the paper to admire and allow the glitter to fall off - like happiness - fleeting - nice in the moment, but temporary.  Then apply the glue.  Talk about the passage.  What was Jesus's commandments?  To love one another just as He loved them.   How do they do this in their lives?  Sprinkle on the glitter as we talk about the result of loving one another - how it looks and how it feels to respect others and be respected.  Explain that the glue is the difference.  The glue is Jesus.  Joy doesn't happen without Him.  Then hold it up again to see...

Hopefully the glitter will stay on.

Linking today with 5-Minute Friday

10 comments:

  1. I love your analogy in today's post! Yes! Jesus is THE glue that provides us joy - unspeakable JOY! Thank you for this!
    ~Your FMF neighbor

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! Yes and yes again... and I kind of like the excuse to work with glitter, too... (wink wink)

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  2. What a great visual! May have to borrow that demonstration some time. Excellent!

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    1. Thank you - of course, the proof will be when we actually DO it... Yes, absolutely use it - let me know how it works. Happy Easter!

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  3. Love this. And what a wonderful post for the FMF prompt today. I just love creative minds like this. What a wonderful way to demonstrate the difference between happiness and joy. Easter blessings to you, friend.

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    1. Hi Beth, Happy Easter and thank you! Your visits are always a blessing to me... Hugs

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  4. What a brilliant idea Janet! I love how you choose to portray this. You are so en pointe on Joy coming from God vs. happiness from the world. I am so grateful to know God and have a close relationship with Him. I can't imagine going through the trials in life without His presence! ~Rebekah

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  5. What a great idea. It would make a great children's message for a Pastor to use as well. A little glitter to clean up, but a lesson that will last longer than words alone. Thanks so much for visiting CMB. I glad to meet you and look forward to visiting often. Blessings!

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    1. Hi Deb - I never thought of it for a children's message, but I can certainly picture it (AND the mess of glitter!) Thanks for the encouragement. Janet

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