One of the difficult things to teach children about decision making is how to slow down the process a bit. Snap decisions often have negative consequences, because not every angle was considered before the choice was made. There’s a fun family devotional you can do that will help your children better understand the possible consequences of making important decisions too quickly.
Before starting, you will need the ingredients to make lentil stew. You can find recipes online – here is one recipe that claims to be authentic. Gather your children and have them help you make the stew. As it is simmering, tell them the story of Jacob and Esau found in Genesis 25:27-34. Make sure you explain the importance of a birthright during those times. (By obtaining Esau’s birthright, Jacob would be much wealthier than he would have been after Isaac died.)
Ask your children why they think Esau was willing to trade a lot of wealth in the future for a bowl of stew now. Would he have made the same decision if he had stopped and thought about it a little more carefully? Would Esau have starved to death in the time it might have taken him to get food some other way? Since he wasn’t really dying of hunger, why didn’t he wait a few more minutes rather than giving Jacob his birthright?
After they have thought about Esau’s poor decision making, ask them to think of times when they perhaps make decisions too quickly. What negative consequences could they have avoided if they had taken a little more time to think about the possible consequences of each option? Why is it important to take time to think and pray before making important decisions? If they are engaged in the discussion, teach them decision making tools, like listing all of their possible options and the pros and cons for each one.
After the devotional, encourage your kids to slow down, think and pray before making any major decisions. Remind them that they don’t want to be like Esau, regretting trading their birthright for a bowl of lentil stew.