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TEENS ages 14-18. Male & Female- God created us to complement each other.
*Note- This lesson includes a lot of activities, mini lessons and application. Feel free to spend an evening together on the entire lesson or spread it out into several mini conversations throughout the month.
PURPOSE
Understanding that God made male and female differently, that they would complement one another and in union bring about the full image of God.
THINK. FEEL. DO.
My teen will learn about God’s dual characteristics and that they were made as a representation of God, they will feel value in the way God created them as well as the opposite sex and they will desire to become a good partner for their future spouse.
MATERIALS
Puzzle, string
INSPIRATION
Read the scriptures and share about what it means to you
"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." -Genesis 1:27
"And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?" - Matthew 19:4-5
“Then who or what within His creation could be His love partner? Is it man by himself? Or can woman by herself become God's love partner? What kind of partner does God want? Does God need a partner with great wealth? Does He need a partner of knowledge, or one of great authority? No, none of these things matter. God wants a love partner. Thus, centering on the place where husband and wife become one through their sexual organs, God wants to appear and meet us.” -Sun Myung Moon
“Adam and Eve, the embodied object partners of God in image, were created separately out of the dual characteristics of the Logos.” - Divine Principle
OBJECT LESSON
Attention Grabber with a real life object
PUZZLE: Pick a puzzle and make it together, notice how the pieces fit together because some parts are concave and some are convex.
INTRODUCTION:
God made you unique and beautiful, not just for yourself but to fit together and complement another person on Earth. All of creation is made in pairs, each has similar characteristics but also some aspect that is fundamentally different, this allows those pairs to “fit” together.
When we understand men and women are meant to complement one another we can begin to truly appreciate the other sex. We should not look at our sexes at war, or in competition. Our differences bring out the beauty in one another and enhance our community. These differences are valuable and are needed equally in the creation of a society.
Even physically a male penis protrudes from the body while a woman’s vagina is an opening. When man and woman come together their bodies fit. As quoted in Matthew, the husband and wife join together and become “one” flesh. Our bodies literally fit together! In this union, we complete the picture of God who is equally masculine and feminine.
BREAK THE ICE:
Leading off with a visual, popular reference- choose 1:
Put your hands together finger to finger, now have someone pull your hands apart. Now fold your hands but this time interlock your fingers. See if someone can pull your hands apart now. When you fit your fingers between each other it creates a hold that is strong.
Try cutting a string of yarn vs. a braided set of yarn. Notice how it’s more difficult to cut when they are joined together.
*TEACHING MOMENT*
Read the script together
Did you know that for any entity to exist there needs to be a relationship of give and take? So even God, our Heavenly Parent, possesses dual characteristics. When God created the world, He created us in His image- male and female He created us. This states clearly that God’s own image is male and female. And God chose not to make one body but two different ones; this is a point we should remember.
God divided himself into these two distinct bodies, knowing that their uniqueness would draw them together in a way that could create total harmony. This is the beautiful process of Origin (God) Division (Male and Female) and Union (them coming together).
While we each have a unique body that represents one side of God, either male or female, we also possess in ourselves characteristics of both just like God exists as a perfect harmonization of plus and minus, positive and negative, male and female. For males, the masculine characteristics tend to be more pronounced but there are also elements of the feminine within. Within a female, she may have many feminine qualities but she also has some more masculine tendencies. This allows for common bases to form.
Guys at school may be drawn to shop class and trying out for football. If they get a letter jacket you may notice them wearing it a lot, like all the time. They’re really proud of this and want the world to see their achievements. Some girls may do meticulous work at school, their projects not only have all the required information but also include hand-drawn bubble letters, various colors used for lettering and glitter. They want their projects to look good.
Sometimes we may look at a boy and see that they gravitate towards more feminine tendencies, maybe they have a love for fashion, for order and cleanliness, they may be more in tune with their emotions. Some are quick to say see that that means they must be homosexual or transgender. But when we understand the nature of God we see that it is natural that men may have feminine qualities and vice versa. We all lie at different levels on the spectrum. It’s important to appreciate the fact that we are people of dual characteristics.
Sometimes we jump to conclusions about a girl that likes to work on cars, play ball and cut her hair short. Some guys might like dancing or join the Glee team and there might be assumptions made about them.Guys and girls may have different desires and passions. This comes out of their essence which is comprised of both masculine and feminine elements.
We should put aside antiquated ideas that men only like to fix stuff and women only like to sew. A man can be a man and love to sew. A woman can be a woman and love to play sports. You may notice even in your own household that your father may enjoy cooking and cleaning, while your mom is driven at work and takes charge.
If we were completely different, there would be nothing to relate with. Just like boys and girls characters are mostly the same with some differences, so are their bodies. Boys and girls all have the same eyes, nose, arms but the difference in our sexual organs is significant. We are able to relate to the opposite sex because of the similarities but we are attracted and create harmony because of our differences. We complement each other.
At the end of the day, we are made to be together with someone of the opposite sex. We may interchange in some interests but we were also created to make harmony with another person. God divided Himself into Male & Female and designed us in a way that through coming together in union we could fully represent God.
How beautiful it is when you can find the partner that you fit perfectly together with. You don’t just stand side by side but can be fused together.
JOURNAL:
Take a moment to have your teen write down their reaction to the lesson experience so far. Use writing prompts if you like.
Creative Writing Prompts:
MASCULINE & FEMININE: Write down 2 lists of characteristics you consider Masculine and Feminine. Consider yourself and see which characteristics from each set are prominent in you.
COMPLEMENTARY: Write about things in nature that complement each other, like a pink flower and green leaves. How do these complementary bodies make you feel?
TWO BECOME ONE: Write a song or poem on the beauty and meaning of two becoming one.
DISCUSSION:
Discuss your teen’s journal writing they’re open to sharing about or use the following questions as a guide, incorporating your own personal experiences:
What makes you unique? What characteristics do you like about yourself? or How would you describe yourself? Why are these characteristics valuable?
What is attractive to you about the opposite sex? What characteristics do you think would complement you in a future spouse?
There is a lot of talk about equality, how is unification of the two sexes different from uniformity, the two just becoming the same?
What do you think about the “battle of the sexes”? Do you think one is better than the other or do both male and female bring something valuable to the table? What value does each gender bring?
CONCLUSION
God, our Heavenly Parent, made you as a reflection of Himself/Herself, possessing both masculine and feminine qualities. God created you as a male or female to compliment someone else in your future blessed marriage, unified in the full image of God. Embrace your sex, the way God made you and be a great partner.
PRAYER
Pray together. Pray that you can appreciate the way God made you as male or female. Pray that you can become the best version of yourself for your future spouse.
Use these activities together with your child over the next month to create ongoing conversations on God's special design for male and female. Click on the blue links!
MUSIC & VIDEOS:
Jimmy Kimmel Talks to Kids - What's the Difference Between a Boy & a Girl? By Jimmy Kimmel live
One boy, one girl By: Colin Raye
ACTIVITIES:
COMPLIMENTARY ART- Create an art piece using complimentary colors.
DRAW GOD- Create an art piece that resembles God our Heavenly Parent to you. Incorporate both masculine & feminine qualities into the art piece.
WOODWORK- Build a convex and concave wooden piece of art that can be put together into one complete piece.
CRAFTS:
PLAYDOH: Using playdoh, create a visual representation of the female and male reproductive systems based off of a diagram. Discuss the different parts and functions of each together.
EXPERIENCES:
INTERVIEW: Have your teen interview parents, grandparents or another couple they look up to. Ask questions about their journey of 2 individual souls coming together, complementing each other and becoming one.
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