Family Devotion: Be the Missing Domino

🧱 Object Lesson: “The Missing Domino”

Theme: Stopping the cycle of revenge
Main Point: When we choose not to get back at someone who hurts us, we break the chain of hurt—just like taking one domino out stops all the others from falling.

🔧 What You’ll Need:

• A Bible
• A set of dominoes (or anything that can be knocked down in a line)
• A flat surface
• A towel or tray for easy cleanup (optional)

📖 Devotional Reading:

Read Matthew 5:38–39 and Romans 12:17–19 together.
Explain that Jesus was teaching people not to get even when someone hurts them. The normal way the world works is, “You hit me—I hit you back.” But Jesus says: “Stop the cycle. Let love win. Trust God to take care of justice.”

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What to Do Next:

1. Set up a line of dominoes.
2. Knock them over and watch the chain reaction. Say: “When someone hurts us, and we hurt them back, it’s like these dominoes. One action leads to another and another.”
3. Set the dominoes back up, but this time, remove one domino from the middle. Knock down the first ones. “Now look—because one domino is missing, the rest didn’t fall! That one missing piece stopped the whole chain reaction.“
4. Say: “When someone says something mean to you or does something wrong, you can be the ‘missing domino’—you can choose not to hit back, not to get even. That’s what Jesus teaches. That’s how peace starts.”

💬 Discuss Together:

• Have you ever felt like getting back at someone when they hurt you?
• What’s hard about choosing not to retaliate (to hurt or get someone back)?
• How can being like the “missing domino” help others see Jesus in us?
• Can you think of someone you need to forgive or stop fighting with?

🧠 Lesson Tie-In:

“Just like that one domino stopped all the others from falling, we can stop hurt from spreading by choosing forgiveness over revenge. Jesus did this for us—He didn’t fight back against those who put Him on the cross. Instead, He died for us and in our place, making peace with God possible for us through our belief in Him. We have been forgiven by God, becoming His friends, and we are called to forgive others too. When we truly forgive someone, we won’t try to get them back for what they have done for us.”

🙏 Family Prayer:

“Jesus, thank You for showing us a better way. Please help us stop the chain of hurt in our families, our schools, and our hearts. When we’re tempted to get back at someone, help us choose love instead. Make us peace-makers like You. Amen.”

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