Okay, so I am cheating and using things that I find interesting from my own scripture study as the lessons at FHE. They don't come with cute flannel cut-outs, and they oftentimes don't even have an exciting activity. However, we do have family home evening regularly, and the kids are learning something, at least most of the time.
Tonight we focused on 2 Nephi, Chapter 5, verses 10-18 and 26-27. In it Nephi explains what the early Nephites did to establish peace and prosperity. He teaches them how to be industrious, and how to build, both physical buildings like their homes and the temple (fashioned after Solomon's temple in Jerusalem) and how to build their lives, based on the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He also taught them that they were not just to reach towards obedience to the law for the sake of the law, but so that they can find happiness in this life, and the life to come.
President Gordon B. Hinkley said that "The Lord wants us to be happy. Nephi said a great thing: 'And...we lived after the manner of happiness.' (2 Nephi 5:27) What a wonderful things. I want my children to be happy. I want them to do well. I want them to live well and live rightly, properly; and, in the same way, except that my Father in Heaven's love reaches beyond any power of love that I have. I think He wants His sons and daughters to be happy. Happiness comes of righteousness. 'Wickedness never was happiness.' (Alma 41:10) Sin never was happiness. Selfishness never was happiness. Greed never was happiness. Happiness lies in living the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ."
As we talked with the children about what selfishness and greed were, and why people might think that selfishness and greed would leave to happiness, it was good to hear the kids be able to go beyond just saying that they needed to follow the commandments. They were able give examples of what they can do to "live rightly" and how that would help them to be happy.
So, our family will continue to try to live after the manner of happiness, one day at a time, one action at a time, one lesson at a time.
2 comments:
A good reminder for me this morning. Thank you! It is easy to slip into thinking about the problems, difficulties, negatives of life, and then my heart is sad. Better to live after the manner of happiness.
You crack me up...that isn't cheating, it's the BEST way to create a FHE lesson. :)
I don't think we can ignore the sadness in our lives, but we can focus on how to become more like Christ, even when we are sad or hurt. Christ groaned beneath the burdens of the world in the garden at Gethsemane, and yet he was focused on moving forward, so that we could move forward, beyond our sins and the consequences of others' sins. I am so grateful to my Savior.
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