FHE: Love at Home

Discussion:
Home should be a place where we feel safe and happy--a place where we know we are loved and accepted, a place where we can learn from one another and enjoy each other's company.  What are some words that describe how you would like our home to feel?  (make a list together)

Activity:
Take turns acting out scenarios and deciding how we could deal with these problems differently to create a loving atmosphere in our home.  (Make it a "movie night" and have one person be the director for each scenario.  After acting it out, the director gets to say "cut" and tell the "actors" how to change the scene to make it better.  Then change roles, so everyone gets a turn to be the director.)

#1:  Josh and Tyson came running through the front door, obviously upset.  Josh is yelling about Tyson kicking the soccer ball right at him and hitting him in the stomach.  Tyson is yelling about how he made a goal and Josh said it didn't count. 

#2:  Allison's Dad asked her to come brush her teeth, but she was too busy telling a joke to her brother to hear him.  When Allison's Dad finally got her attention, she got upset because she didn't like having him tell her what to do so she screamed and stomped down the hall. 

#3:  Sam loved to play baseball.  It was his favorite game.  As soon as he got his homework done, he went outside to practice hitting the ball.  When Mom called him to come in and clean up for dinner, he was still having a great time.  Sam was so upset about having to leave his favorite game, that he slammed the door and kicked the wall on his way in to make sure everyone knew he was upset.  When Mom asked him to pick up his things and come to dinner, he yelled, "No" and slumped down on the couch, refusing to do anything. 

#4:  Cami and Jessica are getting ready to play a game and Cami wants to go first.  She tells Jessica that she won't play anything with her unless she gets to go first.

#5:  Mom asked Aaron to straigten the family room before it was time for dinner.  As he was cleaning, he found a piece of paper that would be perfect for a paper airplane, so he stopped what he was doing to make one.  When Mom came back and asked him to finish quickly, Aaron got upset and told her if she didn't always bug him about cleaning up, it would get done faster. 

Dicsussion:
The way that we deal with situations affects the atmosphere of our home.  Each of us can make a difference in our home by taking a minute to think about how we want to react.  We can think about the example of the Savior and how we would want others to treat us. 

Testimony:
-We can make our home a place of happiness and love as we treat each other kindly. 
-Heavenly Father wants us to become like Him.  We can pray for His help to be more kind and loving, more patient and forgiving.

FHE: Trying to Be Like Jesus

Discussion:
(from May 1999 Friend http://lds.org/friend/1999/05/sharing-time-follow-jesus-christ?lang=eng)
We talk a lot about trying to be like Jesus and following His example, so how do we really do that?

When Jesus Christ lived on the earth, He set a perfect example for us to follow in treating other people. He said, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). He showed us at least three things that each of us can do: He was kind. He loved everyone. He served others.

I can be kind. Jesus taught that we can share what we have with others. We can visit people who are sick. We can make someone who is new feel welcome. Jesus did these things, and we can, too. He said that when we do these things for others, we are doing it for Him (see Matt. 25:40). When we share with others, we are not just sharing with them—we are sharing with Him. When we visit others, it is as if we are also visiting Him. When we make others feel welcome, we are making Him feel welcome, too. Surely that is why being kind helps us to have a good feeling and to feel close to our Savior.

I can love everyone. When Jesus knew that He was about to be crucified, He gave His disciples a most important commandment—to love one another the same way He loved them. He told them that people would know that they were His disciples if they followed this commandment. People will know that we are followers of Jesus Christ when they see that we are trying to love everyone.

I can serve others. Jesus spent His whole life serving others. He even gave His life for others—for us. He taught that the greatest among us would be those who serve others as He did (see Matt. 23:11). That is hard for some people to understand. They think that if everyone serves them, it means that they are very important. Jesus Christ taught a better way—to serve others by helping them, by comforting them, by treating them as He treated others.

Activity:

Read the scenarios and scripture references from the September 1990 Friend http://lds.org/friend/1990/09/sharing-time-try-to-be-like-jesus?lang=eng and decide how to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

Story:

Read about how being kind and unselfish makes us happy in "The Best Summer Day". http://lds.org/friend/2009/06/the-best-summer-day?lang=eng

Testimony:

-We can follow the example of Jesus Christ by being kind, by showing our love to others, and by serving.

-As we follow the example of Jesus Christ and try to make others feel good, we will be happy also.