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Jun 2011 Issue
[photopress:little_girl_in_mirror_0611.jpg,thumb,pp_style] By Alison Palmer
Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 138:47-48
Song: “I Love to See the Temple,” Children’s Songbook, 95
Preparation:
Gather two portable mirrors, a copy of The Family: A Proclamation to the World, and a picture of Jesus Christ.
Prayerfully read “Temple Mirrors of Eternity: A Testimony of Family,” Elder Gerrit W. Gong, Ensign, November 2010, 36-38 and choose those elements you would like to discuss with your family.
Lesson:
Begin by demonstrating how to obtain the eternal images in the mirrors by placing the mirrors on opposite sides of a simple object. Next, show the Family Proclamation and ask what the mirrors and the document have in common. They are both objects that represent the temple and the importance of eternal families.
Discuss why eternal families and temple work are so important to Heavenly Father. Why are they central to the gospel? Share the following quote from Elder Gong, “Temple mirrors of eternity remind us that each human being has ‘divine nature and destiny’; that ‘sacred ordinances and covenants available in the holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally’.” (p. 37).
Do the blessings of eternal families only affect a central family unit? How do temple ordinances serve all generations of a family?
Move on to discuss the need for temple worthiness in our everyday lives. What standards do we need to live up to in order to attend the temple? Why are these steps necessary?
Remind the family that the Savior’s atonement is central to both our ability to enter
Heavenly Father’s temple and key to the covenants we make there. An eternal family is created through each member’s choices to make Jesus Christ a central part of their lives.
The closer we draw to him, the closer we draw to each family member and create a more beautiful bond.
Close with Elder Gong’s testimony of the Savior beginning, “The world pursues enlightened self-interest. Yet the power is not in us to save ourselves. But it is in Him. . . ,” through the end of his talk. (p. 38)
Encourage each family member to turn to the Savior to heal wounds that may exist within themselves or within their family relationships and look toward the temple. When we look into a single mirror we can see only ourselves. The mirrors of the temple offer us a different perspective, one that is eternal and all encompassing.
Activity:
Young children: Use a shoe box, family pictures and available craft supplies to create a sealing room diorama with your family inside. You can make this a representation of things to come or of how you want your family to view their relationship to each other, or historically accurate by placing children who were not physically present on top of the box as if they were watching from the spirit world.
Older Children: Use shoe boxes or other small storage containers and available craft supplies to let each child create personalized “temple hope chest.” This will hold things that represent their hopes and desires (such as a white handkerchief, For the Strength of
Youth pamphlet and picture of their favorite temple) for attending the temple when the time is right.
Treat:
Fresh pineapple to honor the first convert from Elder Gong’s family (who was from
Honolulu, Hawaii), or a traditional family recipe that represents your own heritage in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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