Leader Guide

Objective
Students will be encouraged to hold fast to hope during times of trial and pain, and be empathetic to those who are experiencing the same.

Warm Up
Marco Polo – This is the classic game, but play it out of water and with a twist. Have a student volunteer (or a few students) put a blindfold on while the rest of the students scatter around the room. Give the blindfolded student(s)
a pool noodle. The rules are simple;
when a blindfolded student calls out, “Marco” the rest of the students yell, “Polo!” If the blindfolded student can contact another student with the pool noodle, the student who was tagged is out and must sit down. Set a time limit for playing, and then switch the blindfolded student. Or continue playing until only one student is left untagged.

Transition
Ask the students what helped the blindfolded student(s) find the other students.Whentheblindfoldedstudent called out, what would have happened if no one responded? Ask those who were blindfolded what trying to navigate without sight felt like. Explain to students that sometimes we can feel that we are searching in darkness – blinded by pain, guilt, doubt, and other feelings that take away our perspective.

The Video
Lecrae has partnered with Tori Kelly to bring an amazing new track – “I’ll Find You” – which speaks to those very feelings. Play the video, and then go over the “Lingering Lyrics” section on the student handout.

Bible Study
Say something like, “‘I’ll Find You’ describes feeling that all hope is gone and everything seems to be falling apart. Lecrae has stated that the song was written when some of his and Tori Kelly’s family members were battling cancer and that they wanted to write this song to show their support as well as encourage them to keep fighting.”

Read the following verses, and go over the questions and answers in the students’ “Emotions” section of their guide. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; John 11:33-35 (if time allows, you could focus on the story of Lazarus and read the whole chapter); Psalm 13:1-8

• What “time for...” surprises you the most? Why?
• Why do you think Jesus was “moved in [His] spirit”?
• What does Jesus’ weeping tell us about His heart for those He loves?
• How does David’s outlook and attitude change throughout Psalm 13:1-8?

These verses show different aspects of loss, grief, anguish, and even anger. David expresses these very emotions in many of his Psalm verses. In Lecrae’s verses, he states that he, too, is hanging by a thread and trying to climb out of the deep hole that his grief and other emotions have pushed him in. However, what’s important to note is the progression of David’s emotions. 1) David was honest with his emotions. When we hide our true feelings, we dig the hole that Lecrae describes even deeper. 2) David sought out healing from his pain. When he asked God to “give light” to his eyes, he was asking for understanding. 3) David maintained his hope. David continued to lend praise to God despite his own suffering, much like Lecrae states that he continues to trust in the Lord despite his feelings. There’s a time for everything, even sadness and anger, but how we respond to these emotions is of most importance.
“I’ll Find You” also features Tori Kelly. Her encouraging chorus and hook can also teach us how to respond to others who are going through the feelings that the song describes. Even if we aren’t going through the grief, pain, and anger ourselves, we can empathize with those who are.

Read Job 2:1-13.

• What do Job’s friends do to help him during his pain?
• Why didn’t Job’s friends speak to him? •If you had to rate how well of a job Job’s friends did empathizing with Job, what grade would you give them and why?

If we continue to read the lesson on Job, we’d see that his friends don’t do the best job empathizing with him as more grief comes to Job, but we can see how well they do initially with “sharing” in Job’s pain. They show up, mourned with him through their own tears and anguish for him, they stayed with him (for seven days!), and they realized that being there was more important than trying to say the right thing. When the song “I’ll Find You” states to keep fighting and hold on, the follow up is always “I’ll find you... you’ll never be alone”. Being there for others is so important. You don’t have to know what to say; you just need to find them, meet them in their pain, and steer them towards hope.

Wrap Up
Say something like, “Having feelings is okay. We go through many of them on a daily basis, and may struggle with some for extended periods of time. What is important to remember is that we continue through our process of facing the emotions by being honest, seeking resolution for them, continuing to hope throughout them, and allowing others to ‘find us’ in our struggles and empathize with us.” Have students fill out their “Searching and Finding” section on their handout. End in prayer. 

Playlist
This song is featured on “The Linc: Difficulties; Hope Within” Spotify playlist – which is the perfect way to remind your students what you’ve taught them in this session. To share it with them, click the link.