Last night we gathered the kids for Family Home Evening. Neither Jon or I had prepared anything though we had been tossing ideas around for a while. I wanted to make some muffins. And my parents were planning to come over later in the evening. We needed to get our lesson in there somewhere.
So I stole the "recipe=scriptures" object lesson from our young women's lesson on Sunday by Sis. Clark and gathered the family to make muffins. We talked about "following the instructions" when we make a recipe. I asked them how hard it would be to make muffins without a recipe. We decided instructions were pretty important.
Then I asked them if Heavenly Father had given us instructions for how to live and return home and if so where we could find them. This brought us to the scriptures. The muffins were easy to make and quickly in the oven. We then turned to read Heavenly Father's instructions.
I had the girls turn to Matthew where the Savior talks about being hungry and you fed me etc... and when you do it to the least of these my brethern you have done it unto me. I was thinking we could "follow" these instructions and give some muffins to my "hungry" parents.
What I did not remember was the first part of that scripture. It starts in Matthew 25:31-33:
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left."
First I asked the girls which "angel" did we know that would be coming with the Savior in his glory. Camille of course. Then we talked about how the sheep will be on the right or the good side of the Lord with Camille and the goats will be on the left or the not so good side of the Lord.
Then I asked the girls what the difference was between a goat and a sheep. (Now I will admit that I am not farm girl and frankly I don't know for sure what the difference is but I think my answer was right and it definitely fit my needs for the "child obedience training" in which we are seemingly permanently engaged.)
I told the girls that a sheep comes when the shepherd calls it and the goat doesn't. The goat has to be prodded to get it to obey. I asked them whether they wanted to be sheep or goats. Everyone wanted to be sheep. Hallelujah! Then I told them I would be watching all week to see who would be the fastest sheep when they were called. Everyone wanted to be the fastest sheep.
All day today I have been asking the girls, "Can you be a fast sheep? Are you a slow sheep or a goat that needs prodding?" And I have been able to give some good praise and have needed very little prodding. That makes for a pretty great day in my book.
So yet another way to teach obedience presented itself. At the end the girls saw that the Lord gave us instructions in the scriptures and the instructions said to "be obedient and serve others," as Sabrina put it. I think that sums it up nicely.
Sabrina in her new glasses.
Lauren and Noble rocking in the background.
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So You Think You Can Dance Party at my house tomorrow night. We are starting the show promptly at 9:00 p.m. and I am need to be in bed by 10:30. Looking forward to it!
