Do you get frustrated when your friend doesn’t answer a text or message right away? What would happen if you had to wait weeks, months, and years before your messages were answered? We’re going to watch a news clip about two friends who persevered through decades of communication before finally meeting in person.
Share the following video with your students [2:45]:
57 years after first letter, pen pals from Minnesota and Sweden finally meet in person
When you finish watching the video, discuss the following questions:
- What do you admire about this cross-cultural friendship? (Their friendship required steady, persistent communication over many years. Neither one gave up despite age or distance. Let students share their reactions.)
- Would this kind of long-term friendship be more or less likely today? Why or why not? (Most friendships today are of shorter duration. They are based on geographical location or situational context rather than a slow investment of generosity and love.)
- How has communication fundamentally changed in the past fifty years? Is it better or worse to have instant feedback from our friends? (Texting and digital messaging is convenient and immediate, but it also promotes impatience and impulsivity. We are much less patient and often expect quick reactions to our requests.)
- How do we sometimes project our “instant response” expectation onto God when we pray? (We can sometimes treat prayer like using Alexa or Siri . . . we expect Him to respond immediately to our wishes.)
These days it’s harder to be patient for answers. We expect instant feedback whether we are searching for an answer to something online or waiting for our friends or parents to respond to a text. Today we will learn about God’s divine timing and the importance of persistent prayer even in a digital age.
