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Come Follow Me 5 Minute Family Home Evening Lesson: Service

 Teach your family how Service can change the world through little acts with this Family Home Evening lesson based on the Come Follow Me Doctrince and Covenants 3-5.

The last few weeks have been a little crazy in our country.  There has been so much hate and unrest.  

I know this lesson is much needed in our home and in the homes across the country.  We need to remember to serve others and bring a little bit of Christlike love back into the world.  

Whether it's big acts of service by helping at the local food bank, or tiny acts like opening a door for someone, each act will bring a little bit of Christ into our lives and those that we touch.


Attention activity:

(taken from The Incredible Influence of You by David Dickson)

Materials:

  • Whole milk
  • Liquid dish soap in small cup
  • Cotton swabs
  • Food coloring in various colors
  • Round plate or pie tin with recessed edges
Start by pouring the milk into the plate, explaining that the milk represents the world around you. It can be your home, your neighborhood, your school, your city, or your country.

Squeeze a few drops of each food coloring in the milk around the edges of the plate.  Keep the colors separate. The drops of color represent the people you interact with.

Hold up the cotton swabs and explain that each one represent a family member.  Swirl the end of the cotton swab in the cup with the soap.  Explain that the soap represents acts of service or kindness.  Place the heavily soaped end of the cotton swab straight down into the milk and hold it steady. (No stirring.)

The cotton swab causes movement in the milk mixing the colors.  This represents the kindness helps not only the people you help but those around them.  When we brighten someone's day we change the world a little.


Lesson:

Doctrine and Covenants 4 is usually referred to as the Missionary section.  But it was given to Joseph Smith Sr when he asked the Lord what he could do to help the work to move forward.

He wasn't called on a mission.  He was called to serve with all his "heart, mind, mind, and strength."  And he did.  He was given many different callings throughout his life and he served faithfully where and when the Lord asked with commitment.


"The more faithful service you give, the more the Lord asks of you." (-Henry B. Eyring)

Giving service is not always easy.  It's not always convenient.  But it's always worth it.

Elder Eyring assures us that the Lord will help us when it gets too much.  He says "increased spiritual strength is a gift from God which He can give when we push in His service to our limits."



"God does notice us and He watches over us. But it is usually through another person that He meets our needs." (Spencer W. Kimball)

Sometimes we can feel like just a single fish in the sea.  We may wonder what can one person do to make a difference?

Just like the cotton swab in the milk, one small action to help one person can resonate through the whole world.


"Often times the most meaningful service is expressed through simple, everyday acts of kindness."

What are some simple ways that we can show kindness in the world around us?
  • smile at someone
  • open the door
  • compliment someone on their hair, clothes....
  • include those who aren't being included
  • make a new friend
  • do your chores without having to be asked
  • don't fight with your sibling

"We give service when we don't criticize, when we refuse to gossip, when we don't judge, when we smile, when we say thank you, and when we are patient and kind." (Cheryl A Esplin)

Our acts of service don't have to be big.  They can be little things we do around the house for those we love.  They can be for our family.  They can be for our friends.

Those acts have a ripple effect.  They can change the world.  And they can change our hearts.

"If we serve with a willing heart because we love people and love to help them, the Lord will make us happy. I think that is the secret to happiness...the attitude which we have in the service which we render." (Antoine R Ivins)

When we give service to our fellow men, we give service to God and He will bless us and make us happy.  The love in our hearts, in our homes, in our communities, and in our country will have a ripple effect to make things a little bit better.


Treat:

For your treat, make a pan of these Loaded Cream Cheese Oreo brownies.  Try not to eat them all, and cut some extra to deliver to a neighbor as a simple service activity.

Photo by Aldo Rebechi
Song Lyrics by Kenneth Cope

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