Contentedness

Appearance, desire and deception

Fun with food

Sample some candy that looks good on the outside, but doesn’t taste appealing.

Discussion point: We desire things that often disappoint; always seek God, who never disappoints.

This activity aims to teach children that their appetites can be deceiving. For a Biblical perspective, refer to Ecclesiastes 6:7.

Prepare ahead of time by purchasing some candy that looks good and sweet on the outside but tastes the opposite of how it appears. For example, sour chews, candy-coated black licorice and cinnamon hearts look good, but don’t always taste good.

Allow your kids to try the candy, but be sure to have a glass of water handy! Use the discussion questions to help explain the following truth: Things can look really good, causing us to desire them, but in the end when we get them we can be disappointed. In life, if we are always seeking to feed our appetites, we can end up more concerned about our physical desires than we are about God. When something is more important to us than God, it is called an idol. God tells us in the Ten Commandments that He doesn’t want us to worship anything but Him (Deuteronomy 5:7-10).

Questions for discussion
  • Do you think you could ever get enough candy?
  • What flavour do you think this candy will be?
  • Do you think it will be good?
  • Did you like the candy?
  • Did it look good before you ate it?
  • When you see someone else eating candy, do you usually want some, too?
  • Do you know what an appetite is?
  • When it comes to candy, do you have a large or small appetite?
  • Just because something looks good and you really want it, is it always good?
  • How can your appetite get you into trouble?
Relevant Scripture

Ecclesiastes 6:7 “All man’s efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied.”