The first Article of Faith states: We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost can be a difficult concept to relate to children. It’s easy to describe what the Holy Ghost does for us: Yet the idea of the Holy Ghost isn’t always easy to explain in a clear way for children to understand.
My sister-in-law, when acting as Primary president, heard the most fantastic idea to help children understand exactly how the Holy Ghost works with us.
You’ll need two cans of pop, one of them emptied. Though it’s not necessary, you could try putting a paper cutout of a child on the cans.
Hold up the empty can.
When we don’t have the gift of the Holy Ghost, we are easily crushed by temptation. Some of those temptations may be: cheating on a test, stealing, lying to stay out of trouble, hitting a brother or sister, yelling at your mom or dad, etc. (As each temptation is listed, crush the can in your hand.)
Now grab the full can.
When we have been blessed with the gift of the Holy Ghost, we are not easily crushed because the Holy Ghost strengthens us enough to resist temptations. (Try crushing the can.) When we choose the right and obey God’s laws, we can be filled with the Holy Ghost and harder to crush.
You could invite some of the smaller children to try and crush the full can (I wouldn’t recommend the older children…the clever things might find a way to actually make it happen). If you know of some soda-addicts, see if you can use their empty, uncrushed, cans so each of the kids can have one to crush. Rinse them out first, of course.
Be sure to explain there is a difference between having the gift of the Holy Ghost, and having the influence of the Holy Ghost. Everyone can experience the influence from time to time. Only those who have been baptized as members of the LDS (Mormon) Church and are then confirmed by the proper Priesthood holders with the gift of the Holy Ghost can have it’s influence all the time, so long as they constantly try to keep the commandments.
Whether it’s for Family Home Evening, Sharing Time, or a talk on the Holy Ghost at a baptism, try this idea. My sister-in-law said many of the children who’ve seen this think about the Holy Ghost every time they see a can of pop.
