We have a tradition in our family where we have a Back to School feast Sunday night before school starts. We decorate our kitchen, make a (semi) fancy dinner, and introduce our theme for the year. The kids love it and they love the special attention that they receive. This year we combined another tradition we have and that is using the current General Conference talks for our FHE lessons. This time we did Elder Perry's talk about the power of Deliverance. We focused our lesson on the part of where Abraham and the People of King Benjamin had the doors of their tents facing. From Elder Perry's talk we learned that their doors faced the temple. We applied this to us that if we have our doors (mind, eyes, and actions) facing towards the temple then we will be able to resist any temptation that might come our way. Furthermore, we will have the spirit as well as the influence of the Holy Ghost to lead and guide us. To help illustrate this we made tents (King Benjamin) style and we had the door of the tent facing our Temple picture hanging on the wall. It was neat to be able to bear testimony to our kids of the importance of the Temple, the blessings that come from the Temple, and joy that comes when we keep our eye on the Temple. To help them visualize this goal, I displayed pictures of the kids I took of them in front of the Kansas City Temple. On the picture I printed the words I am going inside someday.
After our feast and after our Back to School message/FHE it was time for Father's Blessings. I love this about our tradition. The mood is already set, the spirit is already felt which leads nicely into their blessings. After the blessings were given it was time to get ready for bed to rest up for the new school year.
I love that our kids look forward to this every year. I like that they ask what the message is going to be. I like that Grant and I are striving to make Back to School not only a fun and exciting experience, but a spiritual one as well. I know the kids are faced with temptations and decisions to make, and I like to think that we are fortifying them to face the battles that our out there. I cherish the spiritual moments we have in our home and the testimony building experiences we experience as a family. I know these moments are building blocks to their own testimony and to their own spiritual foundation. I love to be able to share with my children those things that I hold true and the things that are of most worth to me. I am grateful for the blessings of the Temple and for my Eternal Family. To know the blessings, the joy, and the happiness that we experience here on earth will only continue with us in the next life and the moments that we experience here will only add to what we will experience in Heaven. I am grateful that the Temple is a bridge between here and our Heavenly Father. The Temple has been a huge blessing in my life and I hope our children will not only see the blessing but feel the blessings of the Temple in their own life.
No comments:
Post a Comment