The Lord does not make it difficult for us to find Him. He desires to be close to us. By using a simple child’s game, you can help your children understand how He calls to each of us. Time for some FHE Fun!
Opening Song: #107 Listen, Listen (Round) – Children’s Songbook
Opening Prayer: By invitation.
Emergency Preparedness Moment. What emergency preparedness activity would you like to do this week for your family? Make this a matter of prayer and you will be surprised at the promptings you can receive. These few minutes every seven days during FHE can help your children be ready for a variety of emergencies. Problem solving skills, first aid skills, putting together backpack 72-hour kits, or any other kind of creative endeavor shows your family you love them and teaches them how to take care of themselves in tough scenarios. What will you choose this week?
Devotional. Devotionals can be a way to bring a sweet spirit to FHE and to show your children you value the scriptures. Try using a “favorite verse” time to jumpstart the actual FHE lesson. A moment of short-verse-reading-and-testimony-sharing can bring a powerful spirit to your home and help settle the children for a more spiritual FHE learning time.
Lesson. Feel free to get ideas from the sample lesson listed below, but make sure to go to the Lord in prayer to determine what your family really needs for this week. You are the one the Lord has blessed to know your family’s spiritual needs during your weekly FHEs.
Items Needed:
Scriptures for everyone
Pencils to mark the scriptures
Let the children know that for Family Home Evening tonight, the whole family is going to play hide-and-seek. Designate the “finder” and let her begin counting down from 20 to 1, while the rest of the family is hiding themselves. When she reaches “1”, she can begin looking for each of the family members. Once she has found everyone, ask for another volunteer to be “finder” for one more round.
Explain, though, that this time the rules of the game have changed. This round – as soon as the “finder” counts down to “1” (with everyone else going to different locations) – family members will begin calling to help the “finder” easily locate them. This would be especially fun for a young person to be the “finder” during this round. When everyone has been located, the “finder” can initiate a big group hug and then lead all back to the main room.
Once everyone has returned, open up the scriptures to Micah 7:7 (O.T., p. 1156) and read:
“Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.”
Invite them to mark the scripture and take a few moments to ponder in silence the meaning of the verse. Then encourage a discussion amongst the family about what they learned from it.
This might be a good time to share your witness that the Lord desires to be close to each person. He is much like the second “finder” in the game. When we call out, He comes to us. And as He calls to us to gather home (like the second “finder” brought everyone back to the main room), hopefully we respond and go with Him. Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:
“From among the chorus of voices we hear in mortality, we must recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd, who calls us to follow him toward our heavenly home” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Alternate Voices,” Ensign, May 1989, 27).
But what choices of ours make it harder over time to hear His voice calling us? Does He still call to us, even when we’re sinning? The answer is a resounding yes! (See Isaiah 9:12) What things would help us hear His voice better, follow it, and thus arrive safely home one day in the eternities?
Elder Vias shares how important it is we begin listening as best we can, with beautiful promises:
“In summary, the voice of the Lord may be received by listening to the Lord’s servants, studying the scriptures, and being prompted through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. And for those who not only hear but those who hearken to the Lord’s voice, the Lord calls them mine elect,’ for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts'” (D&C 29:7) (Francisco J. Vias, “Listening to the Voice of the Lord,” Ensign, Nov 1996, 78, emphasis added).
Invite the family to pay close attention to the words of the closing hymn and think how they apply to the lesson this evening.
Closing Song: #270 I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go
Closing Prayer: By invitation.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Here is the full text to:
Elder Oaks’ talk, “Alternate Voices”
Elder Vinas talk, “Listening to the Voice of the Lord”
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