Happy Days Week 1
Happy Days Week 1
Middle & High School Students
Wednesday, January 8th
6:30 – 8:30
PREPARING FOR iGROUPS
BOTTOM LINE: You are free to feel.
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:4, Psalm 30
GOAL OF SMALL GROUP: To encourage students to see their feelings as part of God’s design for them as humans and to encourage them to feel and express those feelings freely to God.
THINK ABOUT THIS: One great thing about leading high schoolers in a conversation about feelings? In this phase, they’re growing into an awareness of their own feelings and developing the vocabulary to talk about them in a more robust way. While this means they can recognize and put words to what they’re feeling more easily, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll all feel confident and comfortable to do so. Consider this week’s introductory conversation the chance to lay the groundwork for bigger conversations to come. While they may not all want to jump in and talk openly about their feelings right away, creating a safe space for them to know they can do that in future weeks is incredibly valuable, too.
TRY THIS: Print out a copy (or take one from GZ) of the Feeling’s Wheel, not for your student but for you! Place it in your home somewhere you’ll see it often and use it to help yourself develop the very skills we’re talking to your students about in this series. It’s a great way to model for your students what it looks like to notice and name your feelings, and it can be good practice for you in your own life and relationships.
Happy Days
iGroups for January 8
Just for fun…
1 Using the Feeling’s Wheel, ask students to pick a feeling that describes the best day of their life so far.
Ask the group to answer and discuss…
1 What does “happiness” mean and/or look like to you?
2 Think about other emotions. What does anger or sadness look like or feel to you?
3 Do you ever feel like you want to avoid feelings of anger or sadness? Why do you or others want to avoid or ignore more complex feelings?
4 If you don’t avoid feelings like anger or sadness… How do you typically deal with them?
5 Read Matthew 5:4. What do Jesus’ words in that scripture teach us about the way we’re created to feel?
6 Look back at Psalm 30 as a group. What do you notice about the way David expressed his feelings to God?
7 Do you feel the freedom to feel and express your emotions in a similar way? If not, what might change about the way you navigate your emotions if you felt that freedom?
8 This week, what’s one step you can take toward embracing your freedom to feel? Share with your group so they can help you this week.
Bottom Line… You are free to feel.
Scripture... Matthew 5:4, Psalm 30
Memory Verse… “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. - Matthew 7:24 NLT
Memory Verse Challenge…
▪ Find the series memory verse cards in your GZ Magazine
▪ Share Memory Verse Cards with friends, family, teachers, etc.
▪ Quote the memory verse in Stage Left to earn Llama Dollas!!