Lift your family member’s lives with this simple lesson on the grandeur and importance of gratitude. Time for some FHE Fun!
Opening Song: #6 Thanks to Thee (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:
Beautiful, famous paintings (set up on display previously in the room)
Scriptures
As the lesson begins, invite the family to stroll around the room to view the carefully placed paintings or pictures of paintings you have displayed. Ask them individually to find one thing remarkable in at least one of the paintings. Once everyone has had the chance to survey the artwork, ask everyone to sit down.
You may want to invite discussion along these lines:
Who wants to share what he or she noticed?
What kind of effort does it take to paint as skillfully as these artists did?
How much time might it have taken to paint any one of these paintings?
What satisfaction comes to an artist with a job well done?
When these artists stand before the Lord at the judgment day, how do you think they will feel as they account for their efforts?
Then have your family open to Luke 17:11-19 and read it. Why are we blessed when we say we’re grateful? How might gracious people be like fabulous artists? Would it take more time to paint a painting or to give thanks? Yet can there be an art to gratitude?
President Monson once said:
“Robert W. Woodruff, a prominent business leader of a former time, toured the United States giving a lecture which he entitled A Capsule Course in Human Relations.’ In his message, he said that the two most important words in the English language are these: Thank you.'” (Thomas S. Monson, “The Profound Power of Gratitude,” Ensign, Sep 2005, 2-8).
President Monson continued:
“Gracias, danke, merci-whatever language is spoken, thank you’ frequently expressed will cheer your spirit, broaden your friendships, and lift your lives to a higher pathway as you journey toward perfection. There is a simplicity-even a sincerity-when “thank you” is spoken” (Ibid., emphasis added)
Why would that be? And why are grateful people like truly artistic people? How can the family develop the well-thought-out, simple art of gratitude, so that when each person appears before Him, the Lord (and they) will be pleased with their efforts?
Perhaps the family would like to set a goal for the coming week to practice simple masterpieces of gratitude and beautiful actions.
Closing Song: #20a A Song of Thanks (Children’s Songbook)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCE:
Here is the complete text to President Monson’s excellent talk on gratitude, called, “The Profound Power of Gratitude.” It is an inspiring read!
Struggling with your teens? C.S. Bezas’ book is an essential help for parents and youth leaders. Powerful Tips for Powerful Teachers teaches you how to create powerful change. Visit your local LDS bookstore or get your copy online here.
