It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Have you heard that phrase before? For me it brings to mind the morning one of my children wakes me up with the words, “I threw up.” It always starts as only one, but, as every mom knows, that stomach bug will make its slow and steady rounds through the immune system of every human in the house before it is finally eradicated. What starts out as one early morning and an uneaten breakfast turns into piles of laundry, bottles and bottles of Pedialyte, canceled plans and very very dirty bathrooms. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. But a week or two later we climb out of the stinking cesspool called norovirus, and the sun shines through the windows again. The boys are outside playing; the sheets are clean, and it feels like we have been reborn.
A Special Season
Lent is another version of “it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” We start Lent with Ash Wednesday, a day focused on our own sinfulness and mortality. It stretches on for forty days of reflection and repentance then sinks lower and lower till we reach the bottom on Good Friday. But on Easter Sunday we wake up feeling reborn! Everything is clean and fresh. It’s like the beginning of something new and wonderful. From ashes to grace, it’s going to get worse before it gets much, much better.
Ash Wednesday Resource
Lent is a great time to talk about repentance and grace with your students. Teach by Faith has a wonderful Lent activity for upper elementary to middle school that will get your students into God’s Word and exploring the significance of this Lenten season. This Ash Wednesday escape room will take your students from ashes to grade, from Ash Wednesday to Easter with fun codes, secret puzzles and the story of Jesus. Put it in your plans today!
If you are looking for this ready-to-use resource for your students, check it out in my store.
Looking for related articles? Check out:
A Meaningful Way to Observe Lent – Teach by Faith
40 Days of Lent…Plus a Few Extra – Teach by Faith
How to Get in Shape Before Easter – Teach by Faith
Looking for more related articles from other authors? Check out:
‘What is Lent?’ Lent for Kids, Made Easy
Lent Lesson Plans and Activities for Kids
Celebrate Lent with Your Kids this Easter – Focus on the Family
