You probably remember the Sunday School lesson we heard as children about the wise man who built his house upon the rock. And let’s not forget the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. And of course you have to sing the song with the hand motions. But there is so much more to this bible story than the engineering truth about needing a firm foundation.
In Matthew 7:24, Christ begins this well-known parable with “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock.” How often as we think back to the childhood story do we forget the first part of that verse. Yet, it is the most important part. Jesus explains what he wants us to take away from this parable.
When teaching this lesson to a group of Tenderhearts recently, I opted for a more visual explanation of this parable. After searching YouTube I found a couple of great videos. Instead of playing the videos for the girls, I recreated them with their help.
The video by Free Bible Lessons.net (here) did a great job of explaining it. The presenter uses simple language that is easy for Tenderhearts to understand. However, the execution was a little off. I think he packed the sand too much before building the house.
Another great video was created by C D (here). This video goes much more in depth explaining how we can apply this biblical truth to our life. But it may be too deep for some of the Tenderhearts to grasp.
My favorite visual display of this parable was posted by Katherine Ray (here). This visual is absolutely jaw dropping, and I am not sure how the man did it. However, it is important to note that when explaining this parable, there is no mention of the explanation given by Christ himself.
If you would like to help your Tenderheart with this badge requirement, grab a large baking sheet (with edges), a brick, some sand, and a pitcher of water. Then start building houses.
NOTE: The requirements have been simplified here. Please be sure to read the full text in the American Heritage Girl Handbook to make sure you fully understand the requirements.
