The Beatitudes are one of Jesus’ most popular teachings, and they can apply to every believer – even children! Here are 8 lessons that you can teach your kids about how to apply the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) to our lives.
#1 God Has Good Things Planned Even When Life Isn’t Fun
When Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” He is talking about people who are sad about something going wrong in their life. He promises to make them happy by loving them and making a place for them in heaven. It doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be sad now, but that sadness won’t last forever – if you believe in Jesus, you have an eternal home with Him, and He will always take care of you.
#2 God Will Help You When You Are Sad
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” When you are sad about something, God will be there to comfort you. When you pray to Him and read your Bible, it’s like God sits down next to you and tells you that everything will be all right. He will comfort you when you are sad, and remind you that He will never let you down.
#3 God Has Big Plans for You, Even If You Don’t Feel Important
Maybe you have friends that seem more important – they can do things you wish you could do, or they have more stuff than you. They may also be mean to others and want to hurt other people’s feelings.
But Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek.” This word can mean “gentle” or “soft,” and it used to mean someone who seemed very humble, didn’t speak up much, and never won anything. The Bible teaches us that meekness and gentleness are not something we should avoid by trying to get our own way, but it’s a way to love others as God loves us. And if we do that, Jesus says we will “inherit the earth.”
#4 Look for the Important Things in Your Life
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” This means that we should always try to do what God says first.
When we are hungry or thirsty, we get something to eat or drink. When we want a new toy or game, we usually do whatever it takes to get it. This can be true as we grow up, whether we want a new job, more money at work, or even finding someone to be our friend or fall in love with us. Sometimes we can make these things more important than God, and even if we get them, we will always want something else. When we want more of God and try to look for Him first, He always reminds us that we’re doing the right thing.
#5 Be Kind to Others, and God Will Give You Kindness Back
Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” This means two things.
First, it means that we should show mercy to others. God shows us mercy by not punishing us for our sins if we believe that Jesus can save us. We can show mercy to others by forgiving them when they don’t treat us right.
Being merciful can also mean giving to someone who has no way to pay you back. You can show mercy by doing things like giving food to a homeless shelter, going on a mission trip to a poor country, or raising money for a family in need.
When we do things like this, God promises to give us His mercy too.
#6 Keep Your Mind and Heart Pure Before God
Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Remember the song, “Be careful, little eyes, what you see, and be careful, little feet, where you go”? That means that we shouldn’t do things that we know are wrong. When we do the wrong things, even though the Bible tells us they’re wrong or our parents tell us not to, God isn’t happy with us. When we do the right things, we keep our hearts pure, which means that we always try to do what will make God happy. This can help us “see” what God wants us to do.
#7 Try to Be Kind to Others
Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” This can mean sons or daughters because boys and girls should both try to “make peace” with our friends and family.
It can be very easy to get into a fight or an argument with somebody else. This can happen because we don’t agree on something, or we think that someone is doing something wrong. Instead of just saying they’re wrong and putting them down, we should try to make peace between the people who are arguing. This is one way that others can know that God is our heavenly Father.
#8 Don’t Be Sad When Somebody Makes Fun of You Because You’re a Christian
Jesus says, “Blessed are you when others… persecute you… on My account… for your reward is great in heaven.”
Some people may try to make fun of you because you are a Christian, but you’re not alone. This happens to lots of people, and people like that can remember that God loves them and is bigger than any bully. Just trust that God always loves you, and He will always take care of you.
Natalie Regoli is a child of God, devoted wife, and mother of two boys. She has a Master's Degree in Law from The University of Texas. Natalie has been published in several national journals and has been practicing law for 18 years.