When Things Went Wrong
Students will understand that sin brought difficult consequences to Adam and Eve
Students will recognize that disobedience changes things and makes life harder
Students will identify that God still cared for Adam and Eve even when explaining consequences
Students will connect how choices have results in their own lives
“To the woman he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing. You will bear children in pain. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." To Adam he said, "Because you have listened to your wife's voice, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' the ground is cursed for your sake. You will eat from it with much labor all the days of your life. It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field. You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust."”
— Genesis 3:16-19 (WEB)This passage shows how God explained to Adam and Eve that their disobedience brought hard consequences that would change their lives forever.
Welcome back to BibleMouse! Yesterday we learned that Adam and Eve hid from God after they disobeyed. Show the sad face card. Today we'll discover what God told them about how their choice changed everything. But remember, even when there are consequences, God still loves us!
After Adam and Eve ate the fruit they weren't supposed to eat, God had to explain how things would be different now. Before they disobeyed, everything was perfect and easy in the garden. But sin made everything harder.
Students will create a simple comparison showing how life changed for Adam and Eve after their disobedience, using the red and green paper to show the difference between easy garden life and hard life outside the garden.
Simpler: Provide pre-cut pictures for children to just glue in the right places
Challenge: Have children write one word under each picture describing how they think Adam and Eve felt
God had to explain these hard consequences because sin really does change things and make life difficult. But here's the wonderful news we'll learn tomorrow - God still loved Adam and Eve even after they disobeyed!
Dear God, help us remember that our choices have consequences. Thank You that even when we make wrong choices, You still love us. Amen.
Coming up: Tomorrow we'll discover the amazing truth that God still loved Adam and Eve and had a wonderful plan to fix what was broken!
“The earth is Yahweh's, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell in it.”
— Psalm 24:1 (WEB)🎯 Activity: Create hand motions: point up for 'Yahweh's', spread arms wide for 'earth', make a circle with arms for 'world', and point to everyone for 'those who dwell in it'. Practice saying it with the motions three times.
This lesson addresses the difficult but important concept of consequences. At age 6-7, children are beginning to understand cause and effect in their daily lives, making this a perfect time to introduce how spiritual disobedience also has results. The key is helping them understand that consequences aren't about God being mean, but about the natural results of broken relationships with Him.
Children this age may worry that God doesn't love people who disobey, or they may not understand why consequences were necessary. They might also feel scared about their own mistakes.
Watch for children who can connect simple choices in their lives to consequences, and those who understand that consequences don't mean God stops loving us. Look for engagement during the craft and appropriate emotional responses to the story.