JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
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And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,
Paul and Barnabas Separate
36After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.” 37Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. 38But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work. 39Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. 40Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care. 41Then he traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there.
Disagreements happen—even between people who love God and each other. It is okay to disagree with someone. Not everyone will think the same or want the same things. What matters, though, is how you disagree. Paul and Barnabas had a sharp argument, but both stayed focused on the mission God had given them, and it continued to move forward.
Today let’s look at how we should act when we disagree with someone through playing the “Two Paths” game.
How to play:
The Rules:
The goal is to practice good skills for conflict resolution, not get the right answer or see who’s right or wrong.
Below are the scenarios to practice.
A note to parents: While it may be tempting to use an existing conflict (like between siblings), it’s best to practice with scenarios that will not rouse an emotional response. The goal is to equip them with the language and skills needed to combat the high emotional response in real conflict.
Scenario 1: You both want to play with the same toy at the same time. One of you thinks you should take turns. The other thinks you should find a way to play with it together.
Scenario 2: It’s family movie night and mom is letting the kids pick. One sibling wants to watch a new movie. The other wants to rewatch a favorite movie.
Scenario 3: You both think the other person should unload the dishwasher. One of you thinks you did it last time. The other thinks that’s not how they remember it.
Scenario 4: A classmate is being left out. One of you thinks your friend group should invite them in even if it changes the group dynamic. The other thinks it’s better to leave them alone.
Scenario 5: One sibling finished their chores fast and the other is still working. One of you thinks the finished one should help. The other person thinks they earned their free time.
Ask God to help you care more about the other person than about winning the argument.
Thank God that he can work through disagreements when our hearts stay focused on him.