of 31 Week of May 10, 2020

DISCUSS TOGETHER All of the material in this guide is provided for fostering healthy discussion in your group. Read through the prompts together and discuss the bolded questions out loud.

Last week, we learned about the importance of rest. Did you take a R.E.S.T. this week? Did you do a R.E.S.E.T.? Tell us about how they affected you.

Learning how to slow down is not just healthy, it is biblical. If we want to be emotionally and spiritually healthy, building rest into our lives is absolutely crucial—especially when we are busy or stressed or feel overwhelmed.

Whether we realize it or not, there are people watching how we live our lives, so this pattern of rest is something we can model. As today’s study will show, that is not the only thing that people are watching. Let’s see what kind of influence two parents in particular had on Timothy so that we can learn how we can better influence the people who look up to us.

Out loud, read 2 Timothy 1:1-5

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, for the sake of the promise of life in Christ Jesus: 2To Timothy, my dearly loved son. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly

remember you in my prayers night and day. 4Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I

may be filled with joy. 5I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.

Before you can lead others, you have to !rst lead yourself. When do you !nd it easiest to practice healthy habits?

What does it look like for you to lead yourself well?

Leading ourselves well is the first step to being able to lead and encourage healthy habits in others—much less being able to lead them spiritually. Because we know what kind of impact Lois and Eunice had on Timothy, we can also assume that they were doing the work to be spiritually healthy, themselves. Because of their example, they were amazing people for a young Timothy to look up to.

Who is a woman in your life that you look up to spiritually? Tell us about them. How have they in"uenced your own faith?

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Timothy’s grandmother and mother both lived out their faith in a way that let Timothy see it in action—and it encouraged his own. In your opinion, what does “living out your faith” look like?

When do you !nd it most dif!cult to live out your faith?

Lois and Eunice were responsible for showing Timothy from a young age what it looks like to walk with the Lord. Their public and private lives were both fully committed to behaving in a manner worthy of the Gospel—and this inspired Timothy even though we know his father wasn’t a believer (Acts 16:1-3).

When it comes to us living out our faith and passing it on to others, one of the things that may hold us back is comparison to others—we may think that they are smarter, more capable, or more put together than we are.

How do you see comparison impacting people today?

Where do you feel comparison affecting you most?

What can we do to combat the temptation to compare ourselves to other people?

One way to avoid comparing ourselves to others is to focus on the things and people right in front of us. This is the advice that Paul gives to Timothy a little bit later on in this same letter:

Out loud, read 2 Timothy 3:14

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

The centerpiece in Timothy’s household was Scripture. What are some practical steps anybody can take to have Scripture take a more central role in your household?

Mother’s Day is a beautiful time to celebrate the mothers in our lives, whether they are the women who raised us or not. But it is a good reminder to encourage them, as well.

What are some tangible ways we can celebrate and encourage the in"uential women in our lives?

This week, we can focus on two things: setting ourselves up to be a healthy influence on someone else, and encouraging the people who have done the same to us. As we wrap up our time together, commit to doing two things this week, and then next week talk about how it went:

Pick one healthy habit to begin, so that you can become a better in"uence to those watching you.

Do something tangible to encourage your mother (or in"uential woman in your life).

As you close your time together, spend time praying for the mothers in your life, for those who are hurting today, and for yourselves as you set an example for those who are watching you.

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Family Material Dads, this would be a fun time to get together with your kids, ask them the following

questions about their mom, and then brainstorm some ways to show her their love.

Family Questions

What is something you’ve learned from watching your mom?

What’s something you appreciate about your mom?

How does your mom show you that she loves you?

How do you think that your mom likes to hear that she’s loved?

Action Step Brainstorm with your kids different ways to serve their mother—and then put the plan into

action!

Prayer Prompt Have your kids thank God for their mother and to help them show her how much they love

her.

Tune in to facebook.com/ilovelhkids this week to do some of the activities geared toward involving kids in the sermon from Sunday:

• Sundays: Bible Stories with Kelly & Cooking with Jen at 4:00 p.m.

• Mondays: “Cats & Crafts” with Cyndi at 10 a.m.

• Tuesdays: “Costumes with Cody” at 10 a.m.

• Wednesdays: Family Challenges with Amanda & Kristen at 10:00 a.m.

• Thursdays: Story Time with Lindsey & Nala at 10:00 a.m.

• Fridays: Science Experiments with LB at 10:00 a.m.