FHE: Forgiveness

Discussion:
Sometimes in life others will hurt or disappoint us.  Whether their actions were accidental or on purpose, we are the only ones that can choose how we will act or how we will feel.  We can choose to let things bother us and get upset or we can choose to let things go and forgive others.  If we choose to focus on a problem, it can seem worse or bigger than it really is.  We start to see only the negative.

President Boyd K. Packer talked about forgiveness this past General Conference.  (Briefly tell the story from his talk about the man who lost his wife and had to learn to forgive and "leave it alone".)
 http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/guided-by-the-holy-spirit?lang=eng

President Packer taught that when we refuse to forgive or "leave it alone", "that attitude is somewhat like a man being hit by a club.  Offended, he takes up a club and beats himself over the head with it all the days of his life.  How foolish!  How sad!  That kind of revenge is self-inflicting.  If you have been offended, forgive, forget it, and leave it alone."

Activity:
When we are hurt by someone, we may have feelings of anger and hurt.  We might feel like seeking for revenge or hurting them back.  (As you talk about this, fill a backpack with five heavy objects--books, rocks, etc.--labeled: hurt, anger, resentment, revenge, and hate.)

Have each family member take turns carrying this heavy load.  Explain that carrying these feelings is an even greater burden than carrying the heavy bag.  When we forgive, we can forget all these feelings and are free from the burden of carrying them.

Discussion:
-Who is hurt the most when we choose not to forgive?  (ourselves)

-What difference does it make when we forgive?  (We can let go of angry and hurt feelings and be happy instead.  We can also be forgiven of our own sins.)

Read D&C 64:10
-Why do you think the Lord commanded us to forgive everyone?  (Forgiveness allows us to feel peace and happiness.  We may not understand why others do things that are unkind, but we are responsible for our own actions and decisions.  When we are holding grudges or feeling upset with others, we can't invite the Spirit to be with us.  By forgiving others and letting go of hard feelings, we are able to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost and focus on things that are truly important.)

Activity:
Make a simple obstacle course.  Have each person go through it while looking backwards, then let everyone go through it looking forward.  Discuss how doing the obstacle course while looking forward is like forgiveness.  When we forgive, we can forget about the hurt feelings and problems of the past and focus on the future, which makes getting through life much easier.

Testimony:
-We will all have times in our lives when we are hurt by things that others do or say, but we can decide for ourselves how we will act.  When we choose to forgive and let things go, we can find peace and have the companionship of the Holy Ghost to help us in our lives.  Our lives will be much happier when we choose to forgive.

Additional Activities:
-Read this story from the June 2009 Friend
http://lds.org/friend/2009/06/let-it-go?lang=eng

FHE: Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

Discussion:
Read Exodus 20:8.  Keeping the Sabbath day (or Sunday) holy is a commandment.  To keep it holy means that we do things that remind us of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ--going to church, reading the scriptures, and other reverent things.  We should avoid working on the Sabbath or doing things that would keep us from thinking of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

That's why we do things differently on Sundays.  We do different things to help make it a special day, set apart from the rest of the week.  We stay in our Sunday clothes to help us remember to keep the Sabbath day holy.  (Obviously, this isn't a requirement--just something our family does so I thought it was appropriate to re-visit why we've chosen to do this.)

One of the most important things we can do on Sunday is to attend our church meetings and partake of the sacrament to renew our baptismal covenants.  We can worship Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and learn of Them.

Activity:
Draw slips of paper from a bucket or bowl and decide whether the activity listed is appropriate for the Sabbath.  (use thumbs up/down, stand up/sit down, or simple yes/no answers.)  (This list comes from the Primary 2 manual, lesson 37.)
 
-going to church
-visiting relatives
-cleaning the house
-going shopping
-going to a movie
-reading the scriptures or other good books
-praying
-watching or participating in a game of sports
-writing letters
-going for a walk
-playing scripture games
-visiting a sick person

Discussion:
Elder L. Tom Perry talked about "The Sabbath and the Sacrament" this last General Conference.  http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/the-sabbath-and-the-sacrament?lang=eng
He said, "Parents, now is the time to teach our children to be examples of the believers by attending sacrament meeting. When Sunday morning arrives, help them to be well rested, properly dressed, and spiritually prepared to partake of the emblems of the sacrament and receive the enlightening, edifying, ennobling power of the Holy Ghost. Let your family be filled with love as you honor the Sabbath all day long and experience its spiritual blessings throughout the week."

-What are some ways we can prepare for the Sabbath day? 
(clean house, wash clothes, etc. on Saturday; be ready spiritually for taking the sacrament--spending time thinking about what we want to improve on over the next week; etc.)

Activity:
Brainstorm things that our family can do to better keep the Sabbath day holy.  (You could make a Sunday box or jar to draw ideas from when you're not sure what to do.)

For example:
-scripture charades or pictionary
-flannel board stories
-write letters or make phone calls to family members
-read histories/stories about our ancestors
-write in your journal or draw pictures about your week
-take a walk as a family
-prepare for Family Home Evening
-play quiet games or do puzzles or coloring together while listening to church music
-work on Faith in God or (some) Cub Scout requirements
-hold a family testimony meeting
-read from the Friend magazine
-read the illustrated Scripture Stories books
-have one-on-one interviews with mom or dad
-look at family pictures
-watch Sunday-appropriate videos
-learn to play Primary songs or Hymns or sing songs together

Testimony:
-Keeping the Sabbath day holy will help us to draw closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  It helps us to show our love for Them and invites the Spirit to be with us.

Additional Activity:
Print the coloring book at the end of this lesson.  (Primary 2, Lesson 37)  You could cut out the following word strips and figure out which page they go with after coloring them.
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=a4c2767978c20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=637e1b08f338c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

• • On the Sabbath we go to church to honor Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and learn about them.
• • The Sabbath day is a good day to study the gospel with our families. We can read the scriptures and other good books.
• • The Sabbath day is a day of prayer. We pray at church, with our families, and by ourselves.
• • On the Sabbath day we can sing hymns and listen to good music.
• • On the Sabbath day we can write in our journals and write letters to or draw pictures for our relatives, friends, and the missionaries.
• • The Sabbath day is a good day to visit family members or people who are sick or lonely.