Matt. 19-20; Mark 10; Luke 18 (May 13-19th)

What Lack I Yet?

The object of this lesson is to discuss eternal marriage and families, obeying the commandments, and allowing Jesus to help us know how we can progress personally. 

Invite Sharing:

Give the children strips of paper and a writing utensil. Give them a minute or two to write down an anonymous question they would ask the Savior if they had the chance. Collect the questions in a bucket and read them out loud. (If at quick glance, you realize that one of the questions is personal in nature, simply set that one aside without reading it aloud.

Tell the children that they don't need to be face-to-face with the Savior to ask them their questions or discuss any doubts they might have. If they pray, they can ask Jesus any question. Remind them that they will receive the answer in the Lord's time- which doesn't always align with our timeline.

Teach the Doctrine:

Brian and I are at an advantage this year that we are teaching children 7-8 year olds which means that we can really pick and choose activities from both the "younger children" and the "older children" sections.

Beforehand, gather together:

 1. Strips of paper and writing utensils.
2. A picture of a couple on their wedding day
3. Scriptures printed out from Activity 1.
4. Download the video clip from Activity 2.
5. Treat (*optional*) 

Some Activities We Plan to Do:

1. Heavenly Father wants us to Marry in the Temple and have Eternal Families.
Display a picture of a married couple on their wedding day- we'll probably just bring a picture of ourselves.

Ask one of the children to read aloud, Mark 10:6-8. Ask if anyone knows what they word, "cleave" means. Explain that "cleave" means to "stick to" or "hold on tight to" something.

Ask,
"Why is it important that husbands and wives join together, love each other and work as partners?"
Explain that when you are married- you are essentially on "a team" with your partner.
Ask the children,
-"What does it mean to be on a team? For example, a soccer team?"
-"How do you think marriage is similar to players on a soccer team?"
-"When you are on a soccer team- would you be considered a good team player if you purposefully scored a point for the other team?"

When you are married, you will have the chance to go through the journey of life with someone who will- hopefully- have your best interests in mind and won't betray you by doing something they know would hurt you. Your spouse will care for you, love you and try their best to give you a happy life. Sometimes, you will face speed bumps- but when you do, it's better to lean on each other to get through rather than divide up.

Invite each of the children to read a scripture from this list:

Mark 10:6-8:
6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’[a] 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,[b] 8 and the two will become one flesh.’[c] So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

1 Cor. 11:11
Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

D&C 42:22
Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else.

D&C 131:1-4

1 In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; 2 And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; 3 And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.4 He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.

Moses 3:18, 21-24
18 And I, the Lord God, said unto mine Only Begotten, that it was not good that the man should be alone; wherefore, I will make an help meet for him.
21 And I, the Lord God, caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and he slept, and I took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in the stead thereof;

22 And the rib which I, the Lord God, had taken from man, made I a woman, and brought her unto the man.23 And Adam said: This I know now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.

Afterwards, have the child sum up what their scripture(s) was about.

2. Jesus can help me know what I need to do to Progress.

Read Mark 10:17-22 or watch, "Christ and The Rich Young Man"
Ask the children:
What did the man ask Jesus?
How did Jesus respond- what commandments were mentioned?
The man was already doing those things- he wanted to do more- how did the Savior respond then?
Why do you think the man chose not to take the Savior's advice?

Explain that the counsel Jesus gave to the young man was personal- just for him. We can all receive personal direction from the Lord through the spirit.
Explain that sometimes in the scriptures we can read about the "rich man" or a "man who had riches" and we may think, "Hmm... the Savior had a thing against rich people." Ask the children what they think the difference between " having riches" and "trusting in riches." Tell the children that the Lord wants us to learn and do well in school. Then he wants us to do exceed in our career of choice- ultimately this may lead to "gaining riches." Explain that there is absolutely nothing wrong with treating yourself- for example when you are older- if you work really hard you may be able to one day purchase the car or home of your dreams- and there is nothing wrong with that. The Lord wants us to be happy. However, sometimes people lose sight of what is important. They might think that because they have their dream car, house etc. that that makes them better than someone without those things. This is simply not true. The Lord wants us to be humble and to love and serve everyone.

Even though Christ is perfect- has never committed a single sin- he is still humble. He sought out people who were considered outcasts, helped and loved them. He humbled himself and washed his apostles feet. He never thought he was better than or too good for anyone. We need to follow his example.

Furthermore- maybe what's "holding us back" from our full potential isn't money. Maybe we need to improve on another area of our life- if we ask the Savior in sincere prayer and than patiently wait for an answer- he will make it known to us. For myself personally, I know from praying and observing my own behavior that I am very impatient. Being impatient brings a lot of unnecessary stress and negative vibes to my life. My impatience is something that I believe is holding me back from reaching my full potential. With the help of the Savior and through seeking various resources- I could become more patient.

We will never be perfect- we are human. But the Lord doesn't want or need us to be perfect- he looks at the intentions of our heart. All he asks is that we genuinely try to be good, decent people all while following his commandments and helping others. We will make mistakes- but it's what we do in our downfalls that matter. When we fall, do we become bitter or angry? Do we lash out, do we give up? Or do we allow ourselves grace? Do we pick ourselves up and try to do better next time?

3. Treat & Handout.

I will pass out gold coins with a little handout attached that says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven... By man it is impossible but through God- nothing is impossible."

Challenge the children to pray to Heavenly Father about what they should personally work on this month. Maybe it's to be more honest? More reverent? More patient? More compassionate? Etc.