Intro
In this section, there will be several activities that
we are going to complete to help us overcome our sinful nature. I would like
you to complete these activities as you proceed through the lessons we are
learning and not leave them all to complete after you have finished. By doing
them throughout you will learn new tools for overcoming and making make changes
in your heart and mind … even your very soul.
I also
suggest that you play contemplative Christian music while you work on these
activities. I find that music that is calming to your spirit, focuses your mind
on the Lord and still allows you to think on the assignment helps me to get the
most out of my projects. So find some music that puts you in a thoughtful frame
of mind to listen to as you work through these activities.
Life History
Before beginning any life changes you should always take
a look at where you have been and set goals to help you along the path to where
you are going. So before we start looking for ways to conquer your sinful
behavior(s), let’s take a walk down memory lane – your memories and those of
your family and friends, too – let’s see if we can find changes in our thoughts
and actions that may have been the impetus for our sinful ways.
Your Personal Time Line
Starting with your very beginning, the day you were born,
write down at least two events or incidents that happened to you – or in
your family – for each year of your life that caused you joy/happiness and that
have caused you hurt/sorrow/anger. This activity should not be drawn out
indefinitely, so work on getting as much info into your family history as you
can in two weeks but aim for completion in about a week.
As I said, you don’t have to rely on your own memories.
Draw from your parents, siblings and other family members as well as family
friends for incidents and events in your family history during your lifetime.
What Should This Activity Look Like
We will want a large piece of poster board to draw out
our timelines. On our graph, we will plot
each year of our lives from birth to the present. For each year of your life, you will plot out two positives and two negative events/incidents
listing when and where they occurred and a paragraph that summarizes any
changes – for the better or the worse – that came from each of the events shown
on our graphs.
While we are learning about our beginnings, we will want
to write our history into our journals along with any changes in mood or
behavior afterward that we believe may have started because of it. Your poster
board will be the map of your history and your journal will hold its key. Making this detailed record in our journals
will help us later when we are sharing our thoughts on this history with our
mentors later.
Sharing Your History
When we share our personal history with our mentors/advisors/counselors,
they will help us to see things in it that aren’t clear to us at the moment.
They will also have insight into how the events/incidents that we perceive as
negative on us can have a positive impact on us now as well.
Reflections
Now that we have written our life’s history, let’s take a
few moments to make a few notes on what we have learned from it.
- What events or incidents in your life can you see that may have impacted your choice to deviate from God’s plan for sexual purity?
- Why?
- How can you use these negative incidents into positives?
Prayer for Today
Writing your prayers down makes them more real. It gives
them a permanence. So record your prayers on this activity in your
journal/notebook.
Dear Lord,
Help me to use all things in my life – both positive and
negative – to bring You glory.
Help me …
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