If you follow the scripture for humility, you can cultivate good character. Humility is a necessary ingredient to grow good character. Just ask Little Pot, a vessel created by the potter to grow fruit. It provides an excellent opportunity for teaching children about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These free lesson plans use Little Pot’s fruit-growing cycle as the key to character education. Whether teaching in a classroom, at home, or in a church, the lesson plans can adapt to your students. By the end of these lessons, your students will have learned the science behind Little Pot growing fruit and discover how their creator grows character traits in them. If you missed lesson one, you can get it here. So, let’s continue this journey of growing character with Little Pot!

Why use Little Pot for character development?

Little Pot can help illustrate complex concepts in a way that’s easy for children to understand. The fruit-growing cycle can teach what is required for character traits, including identity, humility, integrity, relationships, and knowledge. Moreover, Little Pot is a tangible reminder of the creator’s love and care for us. It symbolizes how God made us, nurtures us, and helps us grow into the people He wants us to be.

When you use Little Pot for character development, you’re not just teaching your students about good behavior. You’re helping them better understand who they are and who they want to be. You’re helping them understand that character is not fixed or innate but something God cultivates and develops over time. Using Little Pot as a teaching tool, you can help your students develop the skills and attitudes they need to become the vessel God created them to be. Each week, we will discuss one of the following lesson plans. This week will discuss scriptures for humility, what humility is, and why we need it.

• Lesson Plan 1: Identity
• Lesson Plan 2: Humility and How to Contain It
• Lesson Plan 3: Planting the Right Seeds
• Lesson Plan 4: Strong and Upright Integrity
• Lesson Plan 5: Fostering Healthy Relationships
• Lesson Plan 6: Blooming Knowledge
• Lesson Plan 7: Producing Fruit of the Spirit

Scripture for humility

Philippians 2:3-4
When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves. Do not be interested only in your own life but be interested in the lives of others.

Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Ephesians 4:2
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

James 4:5
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

1 Peter 5:5
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Luke 14:11
For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Understanding the Scripture on humility

The Bible has a lot to say about humility. These are only a few verses within the scriptures. Each time it is mentioned; however, it says that the humble will be blessed or exalted. Obviously, being humble is a desirable trait. God wants us to be humble. Therefore, we need to know what it is and is not.

What is humility?

The internet defines humility as “a modest or low view of one’s importance.” The Merriam-webster dictionary says the word is derived from the Latin word humilis, meaning “low.” It also comes from the Latin word humus, meaning dirt and earth. Based on these definitions, you may not want humility. Little Pot was not very excited about having dirt poured into it either. However, throughout this lesson, you’ll see it as a necessary basis to cultivate your character. I love the following quote by Anthony Bloom.

“The word ‘humility’ comes from the Latin word ‘humus’ which means fertile ground. Humility is the situation of the earth. The earth is always there, always taken for granted, never remembered, always trodden on by everyone, somewhere we cast and pour out all the refuse, all we don’t need. It’s there, silent and accepting everything and in a miraculous way making out of all the refuse new richness in spite of corruption, transforming corruption itself into a power of life and a new possibility of creativeness, open to the sunshine, open to the rain, ready to receive any seed we sow and capable of bringing thirtyfold, sixtyfold, a hundredfold, out of every seed.”

-Anthony Bloom, Beginning to Pray

Lesson Plan 2: Humility and How to Contain It

Begin by reviewing lesson 1, where you introduced Little Pot. Remind students that Little Pot searched for its purpose and identity. Finally, it knew it would be a fruit pot and grow fruit for the potter. Likewise, they can bear fruit for their creator. The fruit they need to produce is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This series’s lesson plans will follow Little Pot’s journey in growing fruit. Consequently, the first thing Little Pot needs is dirt.

Not just any dirt will do, however. Humility comes from the word humus, the dark, organic material that forms when plant and animal matter decays on the ground. It sits on top of the soil and is the best dirt for growing things. Plants drop leaves, twigs, and other materials to the ground. When animals defecate waste or die, their remains add to the soil too.

The set of the lesson

After reminding students of lesson one and Little Pot needing dirt to grow fruit, watch the following video. Discuss what dirt is and what dirt is best for growing things.

Procedures

A. Learn about dirt layers.

Create a diagram of the layers in the dirt. Include:

• Humus
• Topsoil
• Subsoil
• Parent material
• Bedrock

Humus is made of organic matter. Therefore, it contains living material or material that comes from living things like manure, leaves, worms, and insects. Topsoil is often rich in humus, minerals, bacteria, and fungi. This is where the roots of plants grow. The subsoil is made of sand, small rocks, and clay. It is poor in humus but rich in minerals. Next, the parent material is mostly rock. Consequently, there is barely any plant or animal life here. Finally, the bottom layer is the bedrock. This is a solid rock layer.

If you do not want to draw your dirt layers, purchase the full curriculum with a worksheet for this activity.

B. Learn about the different particles found in dirt.

Help students examine the different particles found in dirt. The soil layers contain three particles: sand and gravel, silt, and clay. Sand is the largest particle found in soil. It does not have any nutrients but helps water to drain. The silt is medium size. It feels powdery and smooth when dry and slippery when wet. It has crucial minerals in it. Clay is the smallest particle in soil. It feels smooth and hard when dry and sticky when wet. It does not allow much air or water to pass through. The best soil contains 20% clay, 40% silt, and 40% sand. This soil is known as loam. You can experiment to see if the soil around your school or house has the right amount of clay, silt, and sand.

1. Fill a large mason jar halfway with dirt from your yard.
2. Fill the remaining jar with water, leaving about an inch of air at the top.
3. Screw the lid on tight.
4. Shake until all the dirt clumps are broken up.
5. Let the jar sit overnight.
6. The next day you can see the different soil layers in your jar.
7. Draw a picture of the jar and layers, labeling the different sections.

Conclusion: Connecting Humus to Scripture for Humility

Since humus is made from organic matter like manure and dead things, let’s consider how manure and things that have died connect to our humility.

Manure:

We often describe the terrible things in our lives as poop (or other words with the same meaning). Does God allow bad things to happen to us? Why? One reason is that it makes us humble. We grow when we experience bad things because we want things to improve. Likewise, we can learn can relate to and help others who experience difficult times.

Dead Things:

One of my favorite definitions of humility is “not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” In essence, that means we put God and others before ourselves. The greatest act of humility is what Christ went through to die on the cross for our sins. His death happened so we could live. Likewise, God asks us to die to ourselves so He can live through us. The connection is that death allows new life. Here is more scripture for humility:

John 12:24-26
I tell you the truth. A grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die. Then it makes many seeds. But if it never dies, it remains only a single seed. The person who loves his life will give up true life. But the person who hates his life in this world will keep true life forever. Whoever serves me must follow me. Then my servant will be with me everywhere I am. My Father will honor anyone who serves me.

1 Corinthians 15:31
I die every day. That is true, brothers, just as it is true that I brag about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A humble person is grounded.

Humus soil is beneath us. When we put the needs of others above ours, we are placing ours below. Talk about ways to be humble and practical ways to put the needs of others first.

Next, we will share what seeds should be planted inside Little Pot. If you can’t wait, go ahead and purchase the complete curriculum. Additionally, you will receive scripture for humility, worksheets, activities, posters, and more. You can purchase the complete curriculum here for just $10.25.

In the meantime, I hope you will sign up for the Fruitful Friday emails and Little Pot’s seven fruit-bearing steps below.

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