Start the lesson by playing “Love Yourself” Bingo
I printed out bingo cards and we played bingo, but before the girls could put a marker over the number, I asked them a question. If they answered the question “yes” they could put a marker over the number. Here are the questions:
1) Are you happy today?
2) Did you look at yourself today and think “I like myself?”
3) did you read your scriptures today?
4) did you say your morning prayers?
5) Do you love yourself?
6) Did you thank Heavenly Father for your blessings this weekend?
7) Did you do an act of service this weekend?
8) Did you make a new friend this week?
9) Can you name one talent you possess?
10) Have you given someone a compliment this weekend?
11) When you look in he mirror do you like what you see?
12) Have you shown your family you love them today?
13) Did you listen to the talks in Sacrament meeting?
14) Have you been a good friend lately?
15) Did you do something “awesome” this week?
16) Have you used the power of the atonement in your life recently?
Question: What does it mean to Love Yourself?
Explain that proper love for oneself is not conceit or pride. A person who loves herself in the right way knows that she is a child of God, that God loves her, and that she has many talents. But she knows that other people are also children of God and that she should use her talents to serve them.
Explain that the Savior himself told us that we should love ourselves. Have a class member read Matthew 22:36–39.
QUESTION: What do these verses tell us about loving ourselves?
Explain that these verses clearly teach that we should love others, but they also teach that we should love ourselves. The Savior said that we should love others as we love ourselves. This means that we should love ourselves as much as we love other people.
QUESTION: Ask the young women to name some ways they can show that they love themselves in the right way. Elaborate on each item.
− Treating your body with respect
− Read, watch and listen to good things.
− Keeping yourself morally clean
− Forgiving yourself after sufficiently repenting of a sin
− Do not comparing yourself to others can … result in either feelings of inferiority or superiority. …
− Accept yourself as the unique person (faults and all)
− Show compassion toward all people.
OBJECT LESSON:
Hold up a $1 bill. Ask, "Who would like this $1 bill?" Hands should start going up. "I am going to give this $5 to one of you but first, let me do this." Proceed to crumple the dollar bill up. Ask, "Who still wants it?" Still hands will stay in the air. "Well," what if I do this?" Drop it on the ground and start to grind it into the floor with your shoe. Pick it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still hands are in the air. "My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I do to the money, you still want it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $1.
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes. To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him.
THOUGHT: The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we are but by WHOSE we are! We never lose our worth!
Point out to the class that every young woman was loved by her Father in Heaven in the premortal existence. His love is eternal and unchanging. She is loved now by her Heavenly Father. Have the class name some of their blessings that show that their Heavenly Father loves them. Go around the class at least two times, asking each young woman to suggest blessings she has received from her Heavenly Father.
LOVING OTHERS:
Explain that when we have learned to love ourselves, we are then better prepared to extend love to others. If we esteem ourselves, we can then esteem others.
QUESTION: Why do you think that a young woman who loves herself is better able to serve other people?
SCRIPTURE STORY:
Explain that in the Book of Mormon we read of Enos, the son of Jacob who was the son of Lehi. Enos was taught by his father to have faith in God, but until the time of this story he had not fully applied the things he had learned.
Ask the assigned class member to tell the story of Enos as found in Enos 1:1–18. Then discuss the story using questions like the following:
* What did Enos do so that his sins could be forgiven? (He had faith in Christ, and he prayed all day and all night.)
* How did he know that his sins were forgiven? (He heard the voice of the Lord telling him that he was forgiven.)
* Who did he think of as soon as he heard the words of the Lord? (His brethren, the Nephites and Lamanites.)
* What did he want the Lord to do for the Lamanites? (Preserve a record so that if the people lost their faith and were destroyed, their descendants could know the truth.)
* Why do you think he was concerned about his brethren after the Lord had forgiven his sins? Let the young women discuss.
Explain that when he knew that the Lord loved him and forgave his sins, he felt at peace with himself and loved himself more than he ever had. Once he felt this love and peace, he felt a great love for his fellowmen and wanted the Lord to bless them. Read Enos 1:19 to show that after this experience, Enos spent much time and effort trying to teach and help his brethren.
OBJECT LESSON:
One object lesson I love is short and sweet. Before your lesson, take a big balloon and blow it up, don't tie it off. Using a sharpie marker, write "love" on the balloon. Let the air out.
On Sunday, share how this balloon is like the love of yourself and those around us.
When we love ourselves we are able to be more kind, smile, compliment others, etc. We are helping fill another’s feeling of love.
Example: You look great today! (blow into the balloon) Continue complementing until the balloon is full. Likewise when we are unkind, say hurtful things, etc., we deflate other's feeling of individual worth.
Let the balloon go. Watch it flop all over the room. Very effective & fun, too. Blow it up again and tie it off.
HANDOUT: I gave the girls a balloon tied to this quote "The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we are but by WHOSE we are! We never lose our worth!" and a $1 bill.
TESTIMONY:
Remind the young women that as we learn to love ourselves in the way we should, we are better able to serve our fellowmen and we feel better about ourselves.
Posts
