FHE - Follow In His Footsteps

FHE - Follow In His Footsteps

This is a fun lesson but requires a bit of preparation.

We made our footprint paths about 4 years ago, but we have saved them so that we could reuse them and we have many times! I took several long sheets of butcher paper and laid them on the ground outside (on top of a tarp). I them painted my little one's feet with black paint and had him take a few steps and then I lifted him off and then reapplied more paint to his footsteps and put him back on the paper for him to make more footprints. I even made a few sheets with my own footprints. Let it dry completely and then use or roll up to save for a special lesson.

Setup:

1. Tape down your pathway making one straight and another one that branches off to the side.

2. Place a picture of Jesus at the end of the straight pathway. Place a picture of the world at the end of the crooked pathway (you could also use a tall lego building if you are talking about Lehi's dream).

3. Collect a handful of objects that will help you stay on the straight pathway (scriptures, hymn book, church magazines, a picture of the prophet, church shoes, a picture of your family, a picture of the temple, etc....). Collect a handful of objects that can lead us off the path leading to Jesus (like a remote control, an mp3 player, video game controler, a music cd, some computer gadget, a ball of some sort, etc...). Place the objects in a basket.

4. Obtain the story "Strength to Follow the Lord" from the June 2009 Friend magazine, pg. 8-9. (I will add the link to the article once it is added to lds.org)

Lesson:

Opening Song - "I Will Follow God's Plan" Children's Songbook, #164

Opening Prayer - family choice

Scripture: 2 Nephi 31:12 "...wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do."

Story - read the story mentioned above

Activity:

Have a family member stand at the beginning of the pathway (we will call that person the "walker" for ease of explaination). Have another family member choose an item (the "chooser"), from the basket, that would help the other person get closer to Jesus and have them put it on the straight pathway (just a few steps infront of the family member that is at the beginning of the pathway). After the item has been placed, have the "walker" take a few steps to stand next to the item that was placed. Discuss as a family how that item will help us follow Jesus.

Have the "chooser" pick another item from the basket that will help us follow Jesus and have them place it on the pathway just a few steps past the last item (this should be before the fork in the road). Have the walker move up to that item and again discuss how that item will help us follow Jesus.

Next have the "chooser" pick two items from the basket, one that will help us follow Jesus and one that could pull us towards the things of the world. Have the "chooser" place them at the fork in the path with the objects on the correct sides (the worldly object towards the path leading to the world and the spiritual object that will lead to Jesus).

Have the "walker" decide which pathway they want to follow. Once they have choosen discuss the two objects and how they will lead us down the path that they are on. (NOTE: If your family member should choose the item that leads to the world, don't deter them. Have them follow it for a few more objects and then you can teach them that through the gift of the atonement we can repent and then choose to do good and get back on the path that leads to Jesus).

Keep doing this until all the objects have been taken out of the basket. We were sure to teach our children that there are many things of the world that are good (good music that isn't church related, good tv shows, sports that help us physically etc....) but that too much can pull us from the better things that will lead us to our Savior and our Father in Heaven.

We used the example of baseball. That playing baseball is a good thing (you learn to play with others, grow physically, etc...) but the things that could pull us towards the world like bad sportsmanship, bad language, playing on the Sabbath, etc.... have to be avoided.

Bear your testimony of how following in the Savior's footsteps will lead us to great joy and happiness.

Closing Song: family choice

Closing Prayer: family choice

Refreshments: Build your own Sundae (it's all about the choices). Yummmm!!!!