Puberty

Objective:

• This lesson is meant to precede the school presentation to the children about puberty.
• The idea is to complete the truth for the children by teaching them that God is involved in their development.
• He develops their bodies and souls ONLY to live in purity and godliness and glorify His name.
• This hallmark lesson is done on a spiritual day, and has 2 components:
  1. Introduction to boys and girls using the creation story to illustrate that God is in charge of their development.
  2. A separated discussion with Q & A about the presented material in which the holiness of their bodies is emphasized.
• It is recommended to get the parents involved in this spiritual day.
• They attend the opening introduction with their children. Then the parents are taken into a different room to be informed and educated about puberty and adolescence and about what their children are being taught that day.
• They are encouraged to be prepared to answer their children's questions in an open, honest and godly manner or to refer them to their father of confession or Sunday school teachers who is prepared to do so.
  

Memory Verse
"So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27)
Lesson Outline:

First Session: 

• Using the creation story to illustrate that God is in charge of their development.
• Today, we are going to begin by reading about the creation of Adam and Eve.
• We'll see that God created us humans in His own image. He used His own hands and fashioned our bodies out of dust then breathed into us. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being." Genesis 2:7
• After God had already created light and separated it from darkness, then formed the heavens, the seas, the sun, the moon, and the stars; He created the plants and trees to cover the earth. He then created all living beings, such as birds, fish and all types of animals. God's last creation was Man.
• Let's read Genesis 1:24-29. This passage shows us that Man was created in God's image and in His likeness.
• Next, let's look at Genesis 2:7-9. In these verses, we see that God made Adam out of the ground and literally breathed life into him.
• All that God had created was good. But God noticed that Adam did not have a companion.
• In Genesis 2:21-25, we read about the creation of Eve who came from Adam's rib.
• In Genesis 3, we see that Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the fruit of the tree, which God commanded them not to eat from.
• As a result, in verse 7, the Bible says, "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings".
• Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were not ashamed of their nakedness. They were pure in heart and mind; their eyes also were pure and they respected each other's bodies.
• The Bible tells us that God would walk in the garden and would talk to Adam and Eve. This shows us that they also had a very close relationship with God. But after they sinned, they felt ashamed and hid from God.
• They also made clothing to cover their bodies. And they did not have the same type of relationship anymore.
• This is how things have been since sin entered the world. Through our Lord Jesus, we are able to remain pure in heart, mind, and eyes.
  
• From reading about the creation story, we notice that God is the one who is in charge of creating things. He is also in charge of developing all things that He created.
• Also notice that as opposed to everything else, He created us humans by His own hand, He fashioned our bodies and souls to be in His likeness and image. He is also the one that develops our bodies during puberty.
  
• Puberty is that specific age where God decides that your body and mind will start to develop and start maturing until you are transformed from being a child to a fully blossomed adult.
  
• When you will take this lesson of puberty and physical development of your body in school, you may not hear anything about God, the creator of your body! Isn't that weird?
  
• Let me ask you this question. If you prepared the greatest project for school, is it right that someone takes it and presents it the whole school as if it was his own and not attributing it to you? Of course not! That would be wrong and unfair.
  
• Let me ask you a follow-up question. What if after making your project you developed and updated it for a very good purpose like helping people and making everyone happy. Then someone took it and started to use this developed updated version for an evil purpose, what do you think of that? Of course, that would be sinful and evil.
• The same applies to your body that God will be actively working in developing it during puberty and the years of adolescence, for glorifying Him by good deeds. But Satan will try to convince you that he is the one working in it.
• Please be reminded and alert of the fact that Satan is a liar and a murderer. (John 8:44).
• Our bodies are godly and holy, in fact, we were created in the image of God Himself. As Christ-followers, we are the children of light and we are pure. Satan tries his best to get us in trouble by tempting us as he did with Adam and Eve. He wants us to disobey God.
• He often uses the media, classmates or anyone else to take our purity away with ungodly thoughts and actions. He often tells us things like "It's not a big deal - everyone else is doing it". Or "I have to do this if I want to be popular". Satan's goal is to make you forget that your body is God's creation and to make you think that it has nothing to do with God. Then he will invite you to use it to destroy yourself and others. But we need to fight back and hold tight to our purity.

How can we do that? We need to be prepared!

• Let's find out how to be prepared.
• First, I want to ask you some questions. Can a soldier fight in a war without his weapon? No. Can a teacher teach in class without having knowledge? No. And can a fisherman catch fish without a rod or net? Of course not. So, for us to be prepared, we need two things:
  • A spiritual plan
  • An educational plan.
• First, let's talk about having a spiritual plan. Ephesians 6:10-13 talks about the armor of God.
• We are to put on not just part of the armor, but the whole armor of God. That armor will allow us to stand up to Satan and the temptations he throws at us.
• Like we said before, Satan uses all sorts of tricks to get us to sin. His goal is to cause us to sin and then to be so discouraged that we give up trying to be pure.
• But we know that if we are truly sorry for our actions, we can pray and ask God to forgive us. If we repent, God is merciful and loving and grants us forgiveness.
• So, our spiritual plan is to put on the armor of God so we can be protected against Satan's attacks. What about the educational plan? Knowledge gives us power. And 1 Corinthians 2:16 says that we have the mind of Christ.
• We need to fill our minds with God's word, which helps us know the difference between right and wrong. During this phase of your life, we as Sunday school servants know that you are growing and changing, and we want to help you through these changes. As we said before, puberty can be a bit confusing if you don't know what to expect.
• So, you need to have the right information. But you also need to realize that not everyone has the correct information. Your parents and Sunday school servants are good people to ask if you have questions.
• Your school friends are probably not an accurate source for correct information. Please remember that you can come to us with questions and we will do our best to help guide you.
  
• So, at this time of your life, you're considered "a tween". You're no longer a kid, but you're not quite an adult yet. You're in between stages and your body is starting to go through many changes. In the next few years, you'll be making lots of tough choices, which can affect you in many ways.
• The good news is that all these changes you are going through are normal and handled by God's own hidden hands. Not only that, but these are among the healthiest years of your life. It's important to remember that God is in charge of all the changes you are going through.
• This includes how your mind is growing, how your body is changing and how your feelings might be different than before.
• The best news is that even though you are changing, you are still YOU.
• Puberty and adolescence are normal stages of life that every child goes through. God created your body to work according to His plan.
• Your growing and changing body might be a mystery to you, but not to God, He designed it very carefully. We, humans, are the most amazing creation of God, and the Bible tells us that we were wonderfully made according to His likeness and image.

Take a break

The second session:

• Let's review some of the physical changes you might be going through. In general, during puberty, you should expect to grow in your height and weight.
  • The skin on your face may change and not be as clear as before.
  • You might be extra tired and feel like you need to sleep more. You also might be hungrier than before. From His great love and care, God has prepared a specific hormone (a chemical in your body) called Testosterone, which is responsible for your growth as a boy to be a young man and blossom to be a fully mature adult in the near future.
  • These specific body changes are the following:
    1. Increase in muscle bulk.
    2. The appearance of body hair in the face, trunk, underarm, and private area.
    3. Bone growth.
    4. Development of sweat glands which increases sweating. (This requires frequent baths and attention to personal hygiene).
    5. Acne: Small pimples may appear in the face due to clogging of sweat gland. This needs face washing with lukewarm water twice daily. Avoid touching them to avoid infection.
    6. Voice change: Your voice gradually deepens, but during the process, you might experience your voice breaking at times.
    7. Development of private organs that leads to increasing in size.
    8. Morning erection, which is due to excessive flow of blood in the private area at sometimes during sleep.
    9. Nocturnal emesis: Occasionally, you may find a yellowish discharge emitting from your private organ while sleeping. That is normal, and just need to be cleaned or showered. It is considered a break of fasting if you were planning to receive communion that day.

• Remember these very important points about your physical development:
  1. Each one of you will go through these changes at different times and rates. So, don't worry if you are growing quicker or slower than others. God's timing for you is perfect.
  2. These changes are performed by God's blessing and hidden hand that works inside of your body.
  3. It is for a great cause, and that is, developing you as His mature young man/lady representing Him amongst other humans that may not know Him.
  4. Therefore, these changes are very holy and are preparing you to be God's Holy man/lady in the near future.
  5. These changes should not be a subject for worldly exploration or ungodly discussions.
  6. Be specifically careful from watching any ungodly videos or images that can destroy God's beautiful image in your mind.
  7. Be very careful not to engage in any inappropriate exploratory touching whether of your own private organs or those of others that can turn into ungodly habits.
  8. If you by any chance fall into any of the above-mentioned ungodly habits, please consult with your father of confession as early as possible to help you get rid of them through the grace of God.

Conclusion 

• Today, we reviewed how God created everything, and that He created the first humans with His own hands at His likeness and image.
• Today, He is about to work in your holy body and develop it to become a blossomed adult to glorify His name. It is our duty to keep our bodies pure for Him.
  
• After Adam and Eve sinned, all people had to deal with temptation. We must consciously work hard to keep ourselves pure. We can keep our bodies pure by being prepared.
• This includes putting on the armor of God and having the mind of Christ. We can stay on course by keeping God's commandments and staying away from people, things, places or situations that tempt us
• Remember, knowledge is power, so reach out to trusted adults, such as your father of confession, parents, and Sunday school teachers about any questions you may have.
• That is why we had you and your parents here today. Don't be afraid to ask any questions that you may have and we will answer them with the truth of God. We want you to be informed with correct information so that you have an understanding and are not confused.
• Please do not rely on the TV, movies, the Internet or magazines for information. Remember, all the changes you are going through are normal and you are not alone. God loves you and has a special plan just for you.

Q&A

https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/puberty.html.