LIVING BY FAITH

For this game, every student needs three pieces of paper and a pen. Have students form groups of 4–6. Each group needs a basket or bowl. Consider offering a simple prize like a piece of candy to each group's winner.

Say

We are starting class today with some competition. Show of hands: Who here is competitive? We are going to play a game called Casting Your Cares. It is a race of sorts.

Say

Everyone take out three pieces of paper. I will ask you three questions, and you will write one answer on each piece of paper. Do not write your name on the papers. Then, fold each paper into tiny squares, and we are going to have a race.

Ask the following questions and give students a few minutes to answer them:

• What is one thing in your life that stresses you out?
• How do you cope when you are feeling overwhelmed?
• What is something you fear about the future?

Say

Now, with your papers folded, you will race the people in your group to throw all three papers into your basket. The first one to get all his or her papers into the basket wins. Set your baskets three to four steps away from your group. Ready? Set. Go!

At the end, congratulate the winners and have students return to their desks. Gather all the papers from the baskets.

Read several anonymous answers from the game aloud or ask volunteers to share their responses. The goal is to acknowledge the common pressures students are carrying.

Say

Life is full of challenges. It can feel like competing in a race—only the finish line is unclear, and you are dragging around heavy weights. Things like school stress, parents' expectations, peer pressure, and just trying to figure out who you are and what you should do with your life—you are carrying a lot.

Say

These burdens can take control of our lives if we let them. But thankfully, Jesus made a way for us to live in freedom.

Optional: Share a short personal story about pressures you faced when you were their age. Use your testimony to introduce the concept of learning to live by faith in Jesus instead of by your own efforts.

Say

When running a race, sometimes it seems easier to run it alone than with someone else. That is because it can be tough to trust others, especially when we are unsure if they will come through for us. But when we run with Jesus, we can always be sure he will come through, even though his timing may look different from ours. One way we can practice living by faith is through prayer journaling.

Say

Here is how it works: You write down what you are praying for and the date you prayed it. Later, when God answers, you write down how and when. Sometimes, his answers come quickly—like giving you peace during a big test. Other times, the answer takes longer, and we must keep trusting him. Prayer journaling helps us see God's faithfulness over time.

Optional: Share with your students an example of a prayer request you had and how God answered it. Choose an example that highlights how God's answers are sometimes unexpected and take time to unfold.