This week's FHE lesson topic comes from the Come, Follow Me reading in 2 Corinthians 8-13. Check out this week's Come, Follow Me study ideas on LDS Living for additional resources and suggestions.
Thought
“Are we making our discipleship too complicated?
This beautiful gospel is so simple a child can grasp it, yet so profound and complex that it will take a lifetime—even an eternity—of study and discovery to fully understand it.
But sometimes we take the beautiful lily of God’s truth and gild it with layer upon layer of man-made good ideas, programs, and expectations. Each one, by itself, might be helpful and appropriate for a certain time and circumstance, but when they are laid on top of each other, they can create a mountain of sediment that becomes so thick and heavy that we risk losing sight of that precious flower we once loved so dearly" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf “It Works Wonderfully!” Ensign or Liahona, November 2015).
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Scripture
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3).
Story
One sister, a Relief Society instructor, was known for preparing flawless lessons. One time she decided to create a beautiful quilt that would serve as the perfect backdrop to the theme of her lesson. But life intervened—there were children to pick up from school, a neighbor who needed help moving, a husband who had a fever, and a friend who felt lonely. The day of the lesson approached, and the quilt was not completed. Finally, the night before her lesson, she did not sleep much as she worked all night on the quilt. The next day she was exhausted and barely able to organize her thoughts, but she bravely stood and delivered her lesson. And the quilt was stunning—the stitches were perfect, the colors vibrant, and the design intricate. And at the center of it all was a single word that triumphantly echoed the theme of her lesson: “Simplify.” Brothers and sisters, living the gospel doesn’t need to be complicated.
(Dieter F. Uchtdorf “It Works Wonderfully!” Ensign or Liahona, November 2015)
Lesson
Before the lesson, gather a pot, a large serving spoon, a delicate goblet or glass, and a small teaspoon.
Begin by taking the large spoon and banging the pot loudly several times. Then take the teaspoon and carefully tap the glass, producing a delicate ringing sound. Then, asking a family member to help you, bang the pot and the glass at the same time.
Point out that the loud noises from the pot block the delicate sounds from the glass. Compare the loud noises to distracting aspects of life, and the delicate sounds to the essentials of the gospel. Ask your family members for examples of what distracts them from the gospel.
Explain that through controlling our distractions in life we can focus our attention on the gospel and will be better able to lead a happy life.
(Adapted from: Jennifer Jackson and Beth Lefgren, Objects Lessons Made Easy: Memorable Ideas for Gospel Teaching, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006])
Lead image from Getty Images
