Your children may be making decisions that either elevate or hurt their lives. The Spirit stands ready to guide them and to warn them. But do they know how to understand the language of the Spirit? Here is a simple lesson that may pique their interest. Time for some FHE Fun!
Opening Song: #107 Listen, Listen (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. We at Meridian Magazine offer you this lesson, but do make sure to go to the Lord in prayer to determine what your loved ones need. You will receive inspiration for your sweet family, perhaps very different than this lesson below!
Items Needed:
- Scriptures
- A chair
1. To begin the lesson, invite everyone to sing the children’s song, “The Still Small Voice” (from the Children’s Songbook, #106). Ask them to look while singing for the things the Holy Ghost can do for them.
2. Now sing the song again, but this time look for what a person must do to benefit from this kind of guidance. What does a person need to do?
After singing, you can ask addition questions, such as: Why is it so important to listen? Are there ways to listen that do not use our ears?
Next, place a chair right in front of you. Stand behind it and ask for a volunteer. Have him sit down and close his eyes. Explain that at some point during the next few minutes you will hover both of your hands facing his ears, but without touching them. He is to let you know when he senses them there, even though his eyes are closed. (Try to get as close to his head as possible, without touching hair, ears, skin, etc.) If he is very still and pays close attention, he should be able to sense when your hands arrive and are waiting near each ear.
When he indicates that he senses your hands, he can then open his eyes. Have him describe for the group what it felt like. How could he tell when your hands were very close, yet not touching him? Then allow another volunteer to come take his place. Let her have the same experience.
Let everyone take turns, trying to sense (with eyes closed) when your hands eventually come to hover near the ears.
SUMMARY.
Just as a person closes their eyes to concentrate on their senses—to feel the presence of your hands—so too do we need to block out distractions to feel the presence of the Holy Ghost.
What kinds of distractions prevent us from sensing when the Spirit is present or is even trying to warn us?
You may want to read the following quote from President Boyd K. Packer:
”It is this still, small voice which Elijah and the Nephites heard that the Prophet Joseph Smith understood when he wrote, ‘Thus saith the still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things’ (D&C 85:6). In that defining moment, I understood that the still, small voice is felt more than heard” (Boyd K. Packer, “The Spirit of the Tabernacle,” Liahona, May 2007, 26–29).
While feeling the Holy Ghost is different than trying to feel Mom or Dad’s hands, we must block out distractions to notice the presence of the Spirit. To finish off, you might want to have the family read from D&C 88:63 or another pertinent verse and then discuss what they’ve learned from the lesson. How can this be applied during the next few weeks and as the school year begins (for those who are in school)? How can we work to listen for the still small voice? What will listening to the Spirit’s promptings do to further revelation?
Close with your testimony and close with the following song, inviting people to look for the truths in it.
Closing Song: #105 The Holy Ghost
Closing Prayer: By invitation.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Here is the link to President Packer’s refreshing talk, “The Spirit of the Tabernacle,” in its entirety.
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.