Love Your Enemies FHE Lesson

Love Your Enemies
FHE Lesson
Lesson by Meredith Oldroyd, Digitized by Lara Goold
Materials needed: Scriptures
Purpose: To help the family understand what Jesus meant when he said to love our enemies and do good to them
that hate you.
Scripture: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that
despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44 and 3 Nephi 12:44
Opening song(s) and prayer:

“Kindness Begins With Me,” Children’s Songbook, page 145
Lesson:
Ask —How do you feel about someone who says nice things to your and treats you kindly? Is it easy to
like people who are nice to us? How do you feel about someone who tells lies about you? Or won’t play
with you anymore? It is a little harder to like those people, isn’t it? Have any of you ever had some of
these experiences?
Listen —to their responses, but don’t lecture or judge.
Teach —Jesus taught a wonderful sermon, that we call the Sermon on the Mount, to his followers.
(SHOW PICTURE OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT). He taught this same sermon to the Nephites in
America after he was resurrected.
Read Matthew 5:44.
Ask —What is Jesus saying?

Should we do mean things to people who do mean things to us?
How might we apply this scripture in our everyday life?
Discuss —Even though it may be really hard sometimes, when we return good for evil, we are following
Jesus’ example.
Show picture of Jesus being mocked —Jesus was always very loving and kind to those around him
even when they did not treat him nicely. Soldiers took Jesus and beat him with whips. They made fun of
Jesus. They made a crown of thorns and put it on his head. The thorns hurt his head and made him bleed.
The soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus and mockingly bowed before him calling him the king of the
Jews. They laughed at him and spit on him. Then they nailed his hands and feet to a cross and left him
there to die.
This was not fair. He never did anything wrong. Everything he ever did was to help other people, but he
did not complain, yell, or fight back. The scriptures say that “Jesus held his peace” (Matthew 26:63) and
forgave them all freely. “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke
23:34)
For more ready‐to‐print FHE lessons visit http://thegoldenseven.blogspot.com.   
 
Show picture of happy Jesus . Jesus is the strongest, most courageous person who has ever lived. It
takes much more courage and strength to NOT fight back or try to hurt others when we feel wronged that
it does to just fight back.
This does not mean that we ignore bad situations and don’t try to make them better. If someone hurts you
or creates a dangerous situation, you do NOT need to let them keep hurting you. But instead of just
trying to hurt them back, we can usually think of a way to fix the problem that will help everyone. When
we feel wronged we can stop, think, and pray about the best way to solve the problem. Heavenly Father
loves us and he will help us.
The Umpire Blew It—(this lesson probably wouldn’t be understood by small children or those not
interested in sports, but would be a great real-life application story for children whose understanding
and/or attention span is ready)—Read (or briefly retell) the story and use the enclosed visual aids.
Real Life Situations— Distribute the good and evil signs (each person needs one of each) and explain
the following: I have given each of you a puppet that says GOOD on one side and EVIL on the other side
(or two different puppets). We are going to hear some situations. I want you to decide if the second
person is returning good or evil to the first person. If it is good, show the good side of your puppet. If
they react with evil, show the evil side. If it is evil, we are going to repeat what Jesus said, “Do good to
them that hate you.” Then we will think of how the second person could return good instead. (You could
also act out the situations if your children like being dramatic.)
Bear your testimony about the blessings of loving your enemies. Talk about how much better you
feel inside when you let go of the anger and hurt and go forward in kindness and love.
Enrichment: Based on the ages and attention spans of your children, choose one or more of the following enrichment
activities to enhance the message of the lesson. Enrichment activities do not necessarily need to be
completed on the same night as the lesson. We often use them as reinforcement/reminders during the
week.
Conciliatory Treats: If there is a neighbor or friend who has recently offended you, make treats and a
nice note and bring it to them as a peace offering. Children seeing parents putting aside their
negative/retaliatory feelings (and talking appropriately about what they’re doing) will do more than 100
lessons ever could at teaching them this often difficult concept.
Quotes: Cut out the quotes on page 14, mount them onto pretty paper and hang them up around the house.
Closing song: “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus,” Children’s Songbook, page 78
Closing Prayer:
Refreshments: see below for a fun treat recipe.
 
Lion House Lemon Bars
from http://recipeshoebox.blogspot.com
Ingredients:
Crust:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
Filling:
2 eggs
2 Tbs. flour
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs. lemon juice
grated rind of half lemon
For crust: Cream butter, sugar and flour. Spread in an 8x8" pan and bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes
(or until golden). While crust is baking prepare next layer.
For filling: Beat eggs slightly and add sugar, flour, lemon juice, and rind. Mix well and pour over
hot crust after it come from oven. Now bake for 15-20 minutes at 350° or until golden brown and
set. Remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar. Cool slightly before serving.
When doubled this recipe fits just perfectly into a 9x13" pan.
Enjoy!
 
Sermon on the Mount
 
Christ being mocked and crucified:
 
Happy Jesus
 
The Umpire Blew It— by Bob Goedde, Friend, Jun 1994, 36 (For younger children, pre-read and briefly retell the story)
“I was safe, and the stupid umpire called me out,” Billy seethed. “That would’ve been the first home run I’ve
ever hit.”
“Lighten up, Billy,” his friend Eric said. “You’ll hit another one someday. Besides, you ought to be happy we
won.”
“But I can’t believe he called me out. It wasn’t even close.”
“You’re lucky he didn’t throw you out of the game. Come on, it’s almost time for the other game to start.”
“Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be ready.” Billy walked slowly to the parking lot. He sat for a moment in the
privacy of his mom’s car and closed his eyes. “Dear Heavenly Father,” he prayed, “help me get over my anger.
I know it’s not right to be hateful. Help me to not think bad of the umpire.”
The play was still vivid in Billy’s mind. The ball had exploded off his bat, splitting the right and center fielders.
“Tag all the bases!” the coach bellowed over the cheers of the crowd.
Billy never hesitated as he raced around the bases. As he approached home plate, he could hear the coach
screaming, “Get down! Slide!”
As he went into a headfirst slide, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. He saw the ball go into the
catcher’s mitt. He saw his hand skim across home plate. He felt the catcher tag his left shoulder, clearly after he
touched the plate.
“You’re out!”
Billy pounded the dirt with both fists. Then he jumped up and screamed at the umpire. Eric was right—the
umpire could easily have thrown him out of the game.
Rejoining Eric at the diamond, Billy muttered, “Well, at least these guys have a good umpire—Dad’s calling
their game.”
For as long as Billy could remember, his dad had been an umpire. He had no doubt his dad was the best umpire
in the league.
“Boy, some of the parents at our game were really getting upset about the call on you,” said Eric.
“Yeah,” said Billy. “I was too. Did you notice how fast the umpire left after the game was over?” He spotted his
mom in the bleachers, and the two boys went up and sat beside her.
“Where have you boys been?” she asked. “The game’s about to begin.”
“We went for a walk so he could blow off a little steam,” Eric said.
“I thought that you were safe,” Billy’s mom told him, “but your antics were uncalled for. The umpires have a
tough job; they’re not always going to make the right call. We’ll discuss your actions later.”
“Dad always makes the right call,” Billy mumbled to himself.
The game was 1–0 going into the bottom of the sixth. The Eagles were behind and down to their last out. The
crowd was on its feet. Charlie Gibson, the best hitter in the league, stepped to the plate. Billy was a little
surprised that the Aces didn’t walk him.
Crack! The ball sailed over the left fielder’s head.
“Tag ’em all, tag ’em all,” screamed Charlie’s coach.
Charlie rounded third and raced towards home. The left fielder threw the ball to the shortstop; the shortstop
fired it to home plate.
“Get down! Slide! Slide!” yelled the batter on deck.
Charlie’s foot touched home plate at the same instant the catcher tagged him. Amid the swirling dust, Billy
could see his dad waiting to make the call.
Billy saw Dad raise a clinched fist above his head. Down came the fist as he shouted, “You’re out!”
Charlie was outraged. He jumped up and started screaming at the umpire.
The game was over, and Billy’s dad tried to leave the field. A number of fans were yelling angrily at him.
“You’re worthless!” “How can you make an idiotic call like that?” “That’s the worst call I’ve ever seen!”
 
Some parents had run down to the fence to scream at Billy’s dad. Fortunately a policeman was nearby and
escorted him to his car. Billy’s mom decided to wait until the crowd calmed down before leaving.
Billy saw Charlie walking toward the bleachers.
“You were safe, son,” said Charlie’s mom.
Charlie threw his glove down in disgust. “That stupid idiot lost the game for us and cost me a home run! That’s
the third time we’ve had that bum this year, and he’s been horrible every time.”
“Did you hear what he called Dad?” Billy said to his morn. “We have to do something.”
“What do you want to do?” she asked.
“These people are terribly upset. If you say something, you’re liable to cause a fight.”
After the crowd thinned out, Billy and his mom went to the car. On the way home, Billy’s mom pulled into a
service station. As she was pumping gas into the car, Billy noticed a man at another pump. It was the umpire of
his ball game.
As Billy watched, a couple of small children poked their heads out a window of the man’s car and laughed. The
man laughed back at them. He’s just like any other person, Billy realized with a start. In fact, he’s a lot like
Dad. He began to feel guilty for acting as he had.
“Mom, if I apologize to the umpire, will we still have a discussion when we get home?”
“If you apologize,” said Billy’s mom, “we won’t need to discuss anything.”
As Billy walked toward the man’s car, he realized that Heavenly Father had answered his prayer to remove the
anger from his heart. He hoped Charlie would offer the same prayer too.
[illustrations] Illustrated by Dale Kilbourn
Discussion ideas:
Would you be angry when the umpire called you out? Or when your friends aren’t being nice to you?
Being angry is a normal feeling and we all feel that way sometimes. What we choose to do with our anger is
really important. What was Billy’s response to someone who had wronged him?
What did Billy realize about the umpire at the gas station?
We are all God’s children and he wants us to learn to get along with many different kinds of people. After
Billy realized that he was wrong and that he felt bad, what did he do?
Heavenly Father prepared a way for Billy to repent. Billy could then offer a prayer of thanks to Heavenly
Father for helping him repent and changing his heart.
 
The Umpire Blew It—
 
The Umpire Blew It--
 
The Umpire Blew It--
 
Good and Evil signs to use with the “Real Life Situations”— Print, cut, and mount onto Popsicle
sticks. You can make these double sided where one side says, “Good” and the other side says,
“Evil”. Or you can make them into two separate signs. Each person will need their own good and
evil sign.
 
Real Life Situations—read each scenario and solution. Hold up the good or evil sign depending
on how the person reacted to the negative thing done to them. If they had chosen evil, think of a
positive thing that could have been done instead to better follow the example of Jesus.
Scenario #1—One of your friends has made up Scenario #2—A boy in your class took your
a mean story about you that isn’t true and is hat and mittens and says that they’re his. Your
telling everyone in class that it is true. You teacher won’t let you go outside for recess
are upset and hurt and want to tell everyone without your warm clothes. You are mad that
about that time last year when she wet her he took them and mad that your mom forgot to
pants on vacation. write your name on them.
You decide to calmly tell the friend that your You go home and tell your mom what
feelings are hurt and that you’re sad that happened. Mom makes a scarf that matches the
they’re making up stories about you. You then hat and mittens that the boy took and together
tell her that you hope you can still be friends you go over and give him the matching scarf.
and invite her to come swimming with you. You wear last year’s hat and mittens and feel
happy that someone else is warm.
Scenario #3—You left your bike lying out and Scenario #4—It was a classmate’s birthday
your neighbor ran over it when he was pulling today and he brought really yummy looking
into his driveway. Your dad says that the bike treats to share with the class. When he came to
is too ruined to be fixed and that it’s too you he picked out the smallest, crumbliest treat
expensive to buy a new one. Even though you and handed it to you with a mean smile on his
left it out, you’re still really mad at your face. You feel upset and start formulating a
neighbor. plan for revenge when it’s your birthday next
month.
You decide that since he ran over your bike
that you’re going to ruin his flowers. You go You go home and pray about your angry
over and run them over with your toy cars. feelings and decide that instead of seeking
revenge that you will give him the biggest and
best treat for your birthday.
Scenario #5—There’s a girl in your primary Scenario #6—You are new at school and there is a
class that just won’t let you have a moment of mean girl who is telling everyone not to be your
peace. She’s always poking you and friend. She won’t let you sit by her and she tells
whispering in your ear and today you got in everyone you’re dumb.
trouble and you hadn’t even said a word.
You go home and talk to your parents about how
lonely and sad you’re feeling. Together you pray for
You go home and write her a mean note telling the girl and decide to be as kind as possible. You
her that you’re tired of her always sitting by bring an extra snack to share with her and invite her
you and talking. You tell her that you don’t to jump rope with you at recess. She still is being
want to be her friend. mean, but you keep praying for her and being nice to
her. Pretty soon the other children notice what a kind
person you are and you make lots of friends.
 
Quotes: Cut out and hang up around your house to remind you of the lesson through the week.
But I say unto you, love your

enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them "May God help us to be a
little kinder, showing forth
that hate you, and pray for greater forbearance, to be
more forgiving, more willing
them which despitefully to walk the second mile, to
reach down and lift up those
persecute you. who may have sinned but
have brought forth the fruits
Matthew 5:44 of repentance, to lay aside
old grudges and nurture
them no more."
~Gordon B. Hinckley~
“Somehow forgiveness, with love and

tolerance, accomplishes miracles that
can happen in no other way.”
~Gordon B. Hinckley~
 

Love Your Enemies FHE Lesson

Încărcat de

Informații document

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Love Your Enemies FHE Lesson

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Love Your Enemies

Materials needed: Scriptures

Opening song(s) and prayer:

Listen —to their responses, but don’t lecture or judge.

Read Matthew 5:44.

Ask —What is Jesus saying?

Closing song: “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus,” Children’s Songbook, page 78

Refreshments: see below for a fun treat recipe.

But I say unto you, love your

“Somehow forgiveness, with love and

S-ar putea să vă placă și