Activity: Unrecoverable

Activity Type:
Icebreaker, Object Lesson

Time:
5-10 minutes:

Goal:
This activity can be used as an icebreaker to help new people feel more comfortable around each other. It also makes a great object lesson for any time.

Materials:
Rocks, a body of water. Alternatively, you can fill a bucket with similar rocks and use that instead.

Instructions:
Have participants find a rock they like. Before the next step check that all people or animal are far enough away not to get hit. As the leader, cast your rock as far as you can out into the water. Then ask participants to do the same. Once they have all done so in turn, ask them to go get the rock they just threw. They should not be able to find the rock again and this should be immediately apparent to them. The point is to illustrate that many things in life cannot be recovered after they are gone. Have participants come up with several things they can never get back or take back.

Some possibilities include:
Negative or hurtful words.
Opportunities to be kind.
Opportunities to give to someone in need.
Trust
First impressions
Childhood and youth
Pictures
Time
A lie
Money
Life

Possible Lesson:
Appreciate Opportunities: There are many things in life we often take for granted. But we should remember that these things are finite and when the are gone, there is no getting them back. It is important to not waste important things or let them slip by. Having wisdom means not wasting or taking for granted those precious opportunities and things that cannot be replaced.
Be Grateful In All Things: You must learn to be grateful for what you have because you can not get many things back. Deanna Wadsworth said it best. She said, “Four things you can't recover: The stone after the throw, The word after it's said, The occasion after it's missed, The time after it's gone.”1
Take Time To Do Good: In our fast paced world it is easy to miss so many things. Paul reminds us in Hebrews 13:16 to take time to do good and share with others. These are the things that really matter in life and the ones God cares most about. The things that matter most in life are the ones we cannot replace. Just like that rock, they are unrecoverable. (See Hebrews 13:16)


Discussion Questions:

What is something unrecoverable you personally have let go by that you wish you didn't?
Can we be forgiven when we let these important things slip by?
What can you do in the future to make sure to use wisdom to avoid taking things for granted?


Sources
1 http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/317519-four-things-you-can-t-recover-the-stone-after-the-throw