WELLness - Patience, being one of nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, can be gotten with a little more ease when the bigger picture of our individual roles can be seen more clearly; the big picture can be a big help!
Warm-up: Introductions and Playing Card Identification - If you could identify yourself with a card in the standard 52-card deck (no jokers--we all are!!) which card would you be?
Exercise: Team-building - In your teams, together build a house out of the 52 cards you have been given. Every card must be used, and every card must be bent, cut/torn, and/or stapled. Above all, have fun!
Lesson: Ephesians 2:19-22 - 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, 20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Romans 8:28 - And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Galatians 5:22-23 - 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Life Application: Look at the various houses our teams have built. How are they the same? How are they different? Now go back and remember the card with which you identified yourself. Can you find "yourself" in each of the houses? We all get bent, cut and/or torn, and stapled; God's building is the same way; He's putting us together in ways we can't conceive. We go through troubles all the time; perhaps now we can have patience with the troubles because we'll realize more readily that He's making us fit into His building.