Bible Verse Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt

Instead of leaving the Easter baskets out and then later also giving the kids more junk in eggs with an egg hunt, I borrowed the idea from a friend in my small group to do a scavenger egg hunt to find the Easter baskets.  My mil also hearing her bible teacher share about a birthday party scavenger hunt where all the clues led a a prize and related it to how the bible is full of clues that lead us to the greatest prize of all so I decided to try to incorporate those two things last minute..as in its midnight and I'm just now doing this for when the kids wake up!  I picked out some bible verses with hints that could be pulled from the verse as to where to look for the next egg containing the next verse/clue.

Where the baskets normally wait at bottom of stairs is first egg with Matthew 28:6 

"He is not here, for He has risen as He has said." And on back of paper there's a hint: Who is He in the verse?  Your baskets are not here either, but where your earthly father has "risen today" you will find a clue. (That should lead them to look on dad's side of the bedroom for the next egg.

"In His great mercy, He has given us NEW BIRTH into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" Peter 1:5 

Hint: what does the word birth mean? Talking about that should lead them to my bathroom where the last child in our family was born during a planned home birth. (But you could also use the word living and lead to the living room)

"For God so loved THE WORLD that he gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Hint: who did God so love? Only a certain continent? Only places we've lived or people we like? Only nice people? (Talking about the world should lead them to our Globe).

"Jesus said I am the bread of life, He who comes to me will not hunger and He who believes in me will never thirst" John 6:35

(Should lead them to the bread where I put the egg inside the bag that has the bread which we keep in the fridge because it's gluten free bread).

"He saved us not because of the GOOD THINGS we did but because of His mercy." Titus 3:5

Hint: where do we acknowledge some of the good things you kids do? (Our positive reinforcement rock jar)

"And with His wounds, we are healed." Isaiah 53:4-5

Hint: what were Jesus' wounds?  Where do we go to take care of your wounds at home? (Medicine cupboard where first aid supplies are, egg inside box of band aids).

"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name UNDER heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12

Hint: what name is it talking about?

Do you see any reference to His name nearby? (I have a decor sign in kitchen/keeping room near the first aid cupboard the says "for where two or three gather in my name I am with them" next clue will be under the throw pillow on the chair below that sign.

"And walk in love just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

Hint: walk in love "me and my happy heart" and around till you find the fragrant aroma - (out back door we made a small stepping stone path and one rock is shaped like a big heart and the kids hop on each stone and like saying "me and my happy heart" or "I love my fam i ly" as they hop on each one. So they will walk on that and follow their nose across the lawn to the lilac bushes in front of house that smell amazing right now, a very fragrant aroma. 🌺

"I am the vine, you are the branches, if a person remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5

Hint: who is the vine? Do we have a vine that can bear fruit? (The grapevine in the backyard that's springing back to life)

"Greater love has no one than this, that one LAY DOWN his life for his friends." John 15:13

Hint: where do our friends and loved ones LAY DOWN when they visit for more than a day?

(This will take them upstairs to the guest room where the baskets will be.)

In the doorway will be an egg with

"You know that he appeared in order to take away sins and in Him there is no sin." 1John 3:5

Hint: these clues have helped point you to your baskets but the clues are from the bible which is full of clues that point us to Jesus, the best prize of all.  God created you in His image if you look in something in this room, your image will appear, as well as your prize...but don't forget, the real prize is knowing and having faith in Jesus.

When they look in the mirror, the reflection will show their Easter baskets in the corner on the opposite side of the bed that they didn't see when they walked in.

In the back of their Easter basket goodies will be something random to them. I have 3 kiddos so in my 3 year old's basket will be a small Jar of salt numbered with a 1.

My middle child who is 7 will have a small jar with pepper with the number 2.

My oldest whose 10 will have a plastic spoon and instructions tied to it with a number 3.

The instructions are:

*1 Have the youngest pour his salt on a plate.

*2 Have the middle sprinkle some pepper on the salt. The pepper is like sin, you all like salt on your food but none of you like pepper, you might still eat your food if it has a little bit of pepper but you really don't enjoy it as much.  Well. That is like when we sin, we aren't as good as we could be and don't feel as great as we should but none of us are perfect, we all sin and need Jesus. We all accidentally grab the pepper shaker and get some on our food sometimes!

*3 Oldest rub the spoon on a towel and then move it slowly over the salt and pepper.  What happened?  We couldn't pick up the tiny pieces of pepper ourselves very easily or at all, but with the help of some static electricity, something we can't see but is definitely there and working, it's like Jesus being able to take our sins away.  We can't see Him but he rids us of our sin just like the spoon was able to get rid of the pepper. Jesus makes it go away and we are good and salty again.  Did the spoon have any pepper on it? No it was smooth, shiny and clean.  That is why we celebrate Easter, because Jesus appeared to take away sins and in Him there is no sin (1 John 3:5), He laid down His life for us, there is salvation in no one else and with His wounds we are healed, not because of the good things we do but because of His mercy. If we come to him we will not hunger or thirst and have everlasting life!  Christ loves us and gave himself as a living sacrifice, He has risen as He has said. He has given us a new birth and a living hope through his resurrection and there is no greater love than the love we have in Jesus Christ our Savior. 

Then we can emphasize what they always hear at church "Jesus wants to be my forever friend".

I really hadn't planned much but I'm so glad I did this last minute, it was good for me to have a moment at night when the house was quiet to look thru verses to use and get my own mind, heart and spirit prepared for tomorrow in the process.  

I haven't done many scavenger hunts with clues with my kids and whatever I've done in the past it's been so long I'm sure they don't remember so I 'm looking forward to their excitement and getting some of God's word in there as an integral part of it!  I'm already predicting they will want to do it again afterwards and I will say no, one set up is enough for me, I'm done thinking up clues and hiding things.  Then they will set up scavenger hunts for each other throughout the day lol and my daughter will try to keep it going til even her brothers are tired of it....just my guess;)

I'm sure the kids will want to repeat the salt and pepper experiment a few times and take turns doing it.  I hope it works! I didn't test it.

*salt and pepper experiment lesson came from The Friend LDS kids magazine.  I do not attend but my grandma got us a subscription to it and it always has some fun ideas and stories to use. 

BLOOM

Sometimes a winter freeze comes along and it may feel cold, lonely and isolating...but the cold period is needed before the spring bulb can bloom and bring forth a fresh, new season.

"Live with a constant awareness of the ever changing world and your ever shifting self."-Mencius 

Sometimes we go through transitions and we may not know why, relationships, connections, attitudes, purpose, health, passions, jobs, whatever it may be.  You may have been going just fine in one direction and suddenly you don't know what direction you're going but you know it's not the direction you thought you were...things start changing and shifting for whatever reason. it can feel like a cold isolating heaviness when we don't understand what is going on behind the scenes, but if we trust and be patient, God works all things for our good, and suddenly, the ground begins to warm, we push up through the heaviness and we enter into a new season as beautiful spring flowers. The Spring Flowers are there to rise up, give hope and look around as honored guests and see what the master gardener is doing all around them as the rest of spring follows suite.

If you feel lost, in transition, discontent, unsettled or anxious ...start to warm the cold ground around you through trust and gratitude and then look up, push up, rise up and BLOOM!!!

Look up - acknowledge and praise your Lord

Push up - seek and ask with faith, confidence and quiet patience

Rise up - let go of your cares and trust with all your heart and know He is sovereign 

BLOOM- realize you are HIS beloved, that He IS working (no matter the outcome) and you are starting to see and realize it a little more each day as each petal begins to open as his plan unfolds to your view and then rejoice and praise in His work and sing for the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, from the love which from our birth over and around us lies, Lord of all to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise as you Whitness from the ground first hand the Lillies of the fields and the birds of the valleys being anxious for nothing.

He Doesn't need me...

I just Wanted to share something that recently happened in my life.  I have this best friend of 10+ years who had been going through A LOT and I live cross country from her.  Between my dad's health declining with ALS and my best friends life going really rough, it pains me to be so far away and unable to physical be there for them.  Of course I pray for them daily but I can't DO much this far away.  Well the last 3 weeks I was back visiting my parents and helping my mom get their new house decorated and more homey for them since they had to move 6 months ago to a place that my dad could get around in his motor chair.  While there  spending time visiting my parents I had 2 opportunities to make it over to the city where my friend lives, and it was perfect timing too because her baby was having heart surgery so I could actually be there to serve her in person and be the friend I wanted to be and show Her God's love.  

She doesn't have any type of community that would get her signed up on meals and stuff like that you may get from a play group, MOPS or church community so I wanted to stock her kitchen with lots of easy meals and whatever else I could while there.  I was very concerned about her being cared for in that way and had even considered calling a MOPs group or something near her and asking them to bless her with meals...it was a big concern for me.  I've prayed many times to The Lord to pour out His love on her over the last year so she would KNOW His love...so now I was going to show it to her by being the best friend I could.  But come the day I was to go over, my son got the flu and I couldn't leave.  My path was blocked and as I was dissapointed, I really felt that for whatever reason it was meant to be that way, so I just looked forward to my next opportunity to see her before we flew back home.  

That last day my path was continually blocked again, we had a rental car situation that my husband has NEVER had before and he rents cars all the time for work so that put a huge dent in our day getting over there.  Once we made the drive over, thing after thing caused delays and at the end if the day I was not only unable to go to the store and bring her any groceries but I ended up showing up completely empty handed...not a card or anything for her or the baby who was just released from the nicu.  All I had to offer was me and some hugs.  I was like what the heck this is sooooo opposit my plan.  But....

While I was there she shared something with me, earlier that week as my path was being blocked to come see her the first time, she had credit card fraud which, for some reason, when she purchased vitamins and a small high chair seat on amazon the vitamins went through but not the high chair even though it was the same order.  So she decided to go on her local city neighborhood Facebook swap & trade page and ask if anyone had a high chair and this woman had one that she gave her for free.  When she saw the lady's profile picture it was the symbol for the same health issue her baby was having surgery for.  When she picked up the high chair she had this weird feeling like she knew her already.  That woman then asked my friend if she could post about her situation on the Facebook page they met on anonymously and my friend was surprised but said ok.  In no time she had meals lined up for the next 3 months, people wanting to help clean house each week, people bringing loads of groceries and dinner gift cards, the outpouring of love and support...from strangers...was totally amazing.

As I left her place that night, I was driving across a long bridge that leaves the city and I felt The Lord tell me "I don't need you.  I have angels everywhere". I couldn't help but laugh!  Like I was a little offended like I've invested so much in this friendship and prayed so much for her and I wasn't able to "do" anything for her but The Lord ANSWERED those prayers and did more than I or any of the other handful of people available could have on our own.  I was just supposed to be her friend and pray for her in this situation and it taught me to trust The Lord even more because He does got it...He has angels everywhere.  It's good that we are willing to be used but He doesn't always need us to do the job that He can do better through someone else.  It was also humbling because no matter how good our intentions, we aren't going to single handedly BE God to others even if we don't realize that's what we are trying to be.  We don't need to be anxious and worry that if we can't be the ones physically being there with someone than God's going to miss them.  That he can't reach them without our involvement.

He loves His children.  He has angels everywhere and our prayers for others do more good than what we, on our own strength, can attempt to do for them.   So, while I was bummed at first He didn't want to use me in this situation to fill a need I knew was there, I am relieved to know His love and His ways far outdo whatever we can think of and so the best thing we can ever do is pray, trust The Lord with it, and move and act when God leads and inspires you to and gives you the grace to do so.  In this situation it was so obvious He was not giving me the grace to do what I thought I needed to and wanted to do, and I am so glad knowing what he was orchestrating behind the scenes meanwhile as he blocked me for now, more LOVE from more people is flowing out into the world, love from neighbors who are strangers but what a good loving father He is to pour His love on my friend with the love of people in her community and giving all those people the opportunity to love their neighbor.  

So, if The Lord tells you He doesn't need you, don't be offended...let others and continue to pray and be ready for when He does.  His ways are above our ways.  

This situation as well as my parents situation living with ALS, is a good reminder of Newton's Third Law: For every action there is an equal and opposit reaction.  In both situations of difficulty, the reaction is love and tender mercies poured out and shared by many people in their communities.  It kills me not being close to my parents as they live with ALS, but they too have received an outpouring of love, help and service from members of their community and church.  It still hurts not living closer to them but I now more fully understand....There are angels everywhere.  We can't be everywhere we may wish to be and serve those we may wish to serve but we can pray for them and be ready to serve those we are granted to grace to serve and love.