Family Home Evening on Repentance

Mike thought up this awesome Family Home Evening. He decided to teach the boys about repentance and I was a little nervous because I thought it would be a little over their heads but the activity he did to explain repentance was awesome. It reminded me that you are never to young to learn important doctrine and principles of the Gospel.



Mike had me buy a helium balloon and then he made a little contraption that he tied to the balloon. Then he got out some rice. He had the boys sit at the table and told them what repentance was and why repenting was needed. Then he had the boys put a piece of rice in little contraption/basket he made.

The balloon just started to float up and talked to them about how one little mistake or sin didn't seem like it was doing anything--that we were still floating up to our goal of being with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father in heaven. He explained that when we sin once and don't repent, it is easier to sin more. So the boys put more rice in the basket. Soon, the basket was floating towards the ground. Mike explained that our lives are weighed down and our journey is now being led away from God.





Then we talked to the boys about repentance and how repenting is necessary to get our journey towards heaven back on track. We talked about the steps of repentance and had the boys slowly take out the rice until our balloon was once again floating up.

I loved teaching the boys this lesson. I really felt that Mike was inspired. I think sometimes it is easy to think that our kids are too young to learn various aspects of the Gospel but the boys seemed to understand what we were teaching them. Of course it will probably be many years before they really understand but this was a good way to help them make a connection. I hope they will never have to really go through the painful process of repentance, but we are each faulted human beings in need of daily repentance and I hope they will hold on to this precious gift of repentance we have been given so they we can all make it together as a family to our Heavenly Father. And if, at some point they have to repent for something more serious than our day to day mistakes, I hope they can understand the love or our Heavenly Father and of their parents. I hope they will feel safe enough to seek our help and understanding and go to the Lord to change their lives.