Making choices

This past Monday was very busy. At 7 we still had not had Family Home Evening and we still had some errands to run and bedtime at 8. So, we decided to combine our errands with FHE. Will was having a kindergarten performance the next day and needed to take cookies in for the snack after the performance.

We were going to make cookies but didn't have time so instead we put all the kids in the car and drove to WalMart. We got our cart and walked to the entrance. At the entrance we asked the boys what direction we should go to find cookies. They pointed to the right. This took us all the way to the toys. We asked them where to go next and they decided that if we went straight, we would just go to the toys, not find cookies, so they pointed again to the right. We went left again and ended up in the toiletries section. They said left and we were going towards the garden area. Mike and I asked them what section they thought cookies would be in and they said, "Near the food." So we asked them what direction the food was in and they pointed us back to where we came. Eventually, through this process of choosing the directions, we made it to the cookies. Once we got to the cookies we asked each of them which cookies we should buy. All of us chose something else.

At this point we talked to them about choices and how making choices effect the outcome. We talked to them about how certain choices are wrong and will not get us where we need to be--when we went right, we ended up at the toys, not the cookies. Then we talked about how some choices don't matter--even though we all choose a different cookie, it doesn't mean that one cookie is better than the other. We all just want something different.

We compared this to the gospel by pointing out that we all have agency and are allowed to make choices for ourselves. Some choices are wrong and some are right. We can follow the commandments or ask for help if we want to know what choice to make. We told them that just like they were confused which way to go to find the cookies, they could have asked someone that worked there that knew where to find those cookies. Just like we could ask our parents, teachers, etc., what we should do to make the right choice.

Just as we all chose different cookies, there are some choices in life that are personal to us and there might not be a right or wrong choice. Heavenly Father has a different plan for each of us and there are certain choices that he will let us know personally are right for us--what career to choose, who to marry, etc.

I think this lesson worked well for the boys. They really enjoyed getting to lead us to the cookies and then getting to choose what cookies we would eat for our Family Home Evening treat.