We Can Choose FHE

Do you ever check out the Family Home Evening Resource Book?

You should!

It's full of wise and wonderful, gospel-based family home evening lessons.

And you don't have to have an old copy to access them either.  

The FHERB (I say "the ferb") is available online: Right HERE.

When I sketched out a year's worth of FHE lessons, I inserted quite a few lessons from The FHERB, and last night was the first of many to come.  We did lesson 8: We Can Choose.

This was a great lesson for us to start out on, because Guy has been asked to speak in Primary on Sunday about how "Jesus Christ Teaches Me to Choose the Right."  When he received the assignment, he turned to me and whispered, "I know what I am going to talk about!"  What?  "The Pre-existence:  When Jesus chose to follow God's plan.  He taught us how to choose the right."

As Mormons there is one thing that we know that is pretty core to what we believe and how we live our lives and that is that everyone who comes to earth has the power to CHOOSE between right and wrong.  We know that although our options might sometimes be limited in this life, that power to choose can never be taken away from us.  It was a gift given to us by God before we came to earth.  We call it our "agency."

"Unfortunately, many people feel that they cannot make choices, that circumstances or events outside themselves control them. “I can’t help it,” a person may say. “That’s just how I am.”  Most of us do not fully understand the freedom that knowledge of our agency brings. The knowledge that we can choose our responses frees us. It allows us to leave old teachings and habits, to repent, and to truly follow the Savior. "

I love that.  Knowledge is power.  And by teaching our children that they have the ability to choose who they will be, we are empowering them...Just as our Heavenly Father empowered us by giving the gift to us in the first place!

I like how the lesson has different sections that helps adapt the lesson by age.  After the introduction, I stayed primarily in the "adapting for younger children" section.  We talked about and listed one decision that each child had made that day.  We "choose" a color of jelly bean from a bowl of jelly beans.  We listened for good and bad choices while we read about "Brent's Day" and the kids put their thumbs up and down to indicate if Brent had made a good or bad choice.

Then to end it, we made a graph showing how Brent's decisions led him closer or further away from Heavenly Father.  (Guy loved the logic represented in the graph!)

When we make good choices, we become more like our Heavenly Father, we grow closer to Him.  If we make a bad choice, we can change direction and repent through our Savior Jesus Christ.  This process helps us to become even more like Him as we humble ourselves and try harder to make correct choices.

Overall, it was a great lesson that really connected with the kids on their level...and it was something that they know a lot about since we talk about our choices constantly...so they felt like "experts," I think.

Now, if your family isn't ready for full-blown structured lessons, I REALLY like the Friend Tip this week by Hillary Lemon. She says, "If your family isn’t accustomed to talking together, start small. A few minutes at the dinner table or a quick chat in the car can be the beginning of a meaningful habit for your family!"

I would also recommend checking out Hillary's tips in the Friend this month on ways to start get the conversation started!

PS - I have a little romance spotlight over at Friday Night Date Night today...go check it out!

(Hmmmm, my anniversary is commmmmmmming up!)


PPS - AND as always, you can see more FHE lesson reports at That Good Part.