A few weeks ago, during a family home evening lesson, I had an epiphany. “Family Home Evening” is a term used by the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which refers to a set time at night on a particular day (usually Monday), during which the whole family comes together without interruption.
As a family, we had been holding Family Home Evening for over 25 years. During this time, lessons were taught, games were played, and desserts were eaten. When a child is young, Family Home Evening is a great opportunity to teach gospel principles, testify of the importance of high moral values in life and create close relationships through games and storytelling. For a teenaged child it is a time for gospel related discussions, conversations on concerns close to the heart and game board playing.
With large families, parents will repeat lessons over the years so all children will have the opportunity to learn all gospel principles discussed from the oldest down to the youngest. My epiphany came when my youngest child (now a teen) had never heard our lesson on the Word of Wisdom.
As a side note, the Word of Wisdom is a revelation written down through Joseph Smith in 1833 which tells of a health code for the early Saints of the church to follow. This includes no smoking, no drinking liquor, or hot drinks (meaning coffee or tea) and encouraging proper nutrition for the body.
How could I have missed this important lesson for my son? We had talked about every gospel principle there was over the years with all my children but I somehow missed this important concept for my youngest. As I read verse by verse of this principle with a promise, and discussed how our bodies are temples that we needed to keep clean, I was thankful that I felt impressed to talk about the Word of Wisdom during our family home evening time. My son was given the guidance he needed to remember the importance of staying away from substances dangerous for his body and I felt that he fully understood the significance of keeping this word of wisdom close to his heart.
Family Home Evening lessons don’t have to be long-winded or formal. They don’t even have to be what most parents consider a lesson but a discussion of whatever topic is concerning the family. What family home evening should be is the time spent together as a family for a few hours without disruption and end on a good note.
As far back as 1964, the then president of the Church, David O. McKay had reintroduced the Family Home Evening program for Church members, as it had apparently been started earlier but was not being used. This program was set up to assist and encourage parents in teaching the gospel in the home.
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From a talk given during a General Conference of the LDS Church in October of 1975, James Cullimore reported this: “A child gets his most important religious instruction at home. It is very difficult for Sunday School or any other agency of the church to communicate Christian faith to boys and girls who haven’t been exposed to it through family life.”
Taking the time for Family Home Evening is a blessing for parents. Sometimes it might seem mundane and boring as children sit together each week. Taking the time for lessons and gospel discussions might seem insignificant in doing any good but in the long run, as parents look back on what they had accomplished with their children, they will realize as I have, that the time set aside for gospel discussion, game playing and dessert eating created memories and planted good works in the hearts of their children which will never be taken away.
Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely.
To read more of Valerie's work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.
We do so much better with our family home evenings when the children give the lesson. We always bear our testimonies or add our witness, but their lessons are very meaningful. They are also short-which the younger children love!
That’s great… We did that too when our children were young.. They had fun doing it.