This lesson was all about helping my kids understand the importance of focusing our attention on the Lord and His will in our lives, instead of worldly things....or anything that might take us away from Him.
I placed a wad of cash (don't you love that someone wrote "I Love You" on the dollar?!) on the countertop in the kitchen.
Across the room, on my table, I placed a set of scriptures.
I had the kids start on one side of the room (the closest to the money) and without taking their eyes off the money, I wanted them to find their way to the scriptures on the table.
The Result: They ended up walking backwards and had to feel around behind their backs to find the scriptures. It wasn't a straight line or an easy find. They had to do a little searching.
THE LESSON:
* When the object lesson is over, ask the children why the task was more difficult than it would have been if their focus was on the scriptures, instead of the money.
READ MARK 10:17-24
Explain that we cannot enter the kingdom of God (represented by the scriptures) if we focus our attention on wordly possessions (represented by the money).
Ask your family to listen for the answer to the question "What blessings are more important than material possessions?" while they listen to or read the following scriptures. Luke 12:31-34, Doctrine and Covenants 6:7
DISCUSS
*Why do many people set their hears on worldly wealth even though they know it is only temporary and how can we determine if we are too concerned with worldly possessions?
We discussed how it is sometimes hard to see beyond this life, if we lack faith. We lose track of our Eternal goals and we begin to seek the things of this world that we think will make us happy right now. We also talked about how anytime we put the things of the world, or activities before our church responsibilities or before the Lords will in our lives, we are choosing these things over the Kingdom of God. We talked about how to have balance in our lives.
*Discuss "What had the Lord asked you to sacrifice and how have you been blessed for making these sacrifices?"
When I hear the story about the man that could not leave his worldly possessions behind, I often feel sad for him. However, we discussed how that story can apply in our lives with the little things, like the shows we watch on TV, the music we listen to, the words we say, how we treat others, what we do with our time, etc.
We all made goals to do things differently so that we can make sure that our focus, individually AND as a family, is more on the Lord and His plan for us in our lives.
I always love to talk to my kids about how we are "Spiritual beings having and Earthly experience". To me, that helps keep things in perspective and reminds us that there is so much more for us, if we can stay focused and remember who we are.
Inspiration for the lesson come from the LDS New Testament Sunday School Study Guide Lesson #17.
2 comments:
Great object lesson Amy. I think adults need this just as much as kids do. We often need to readjust our priorities. Thanks!
Thank you for this lesson. We are doing it tonight!
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