What if we never let our children play—too afraid “they might get hurt”? What if we never let them try something hard—too afraid failure would damage their sensitive egos? How will children ever find “the champion within” if we baby them into adulthood? This straightforward Family Home Evening lesson helps us guide our children as the Lord would have us—based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Time for some FHE Fun!

Opening Song: #57 Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

Opening Prayer: By Invitation.

Devotional: Here's a brief moment for spontaneous scripture sharing! This is a fun portion of FHE (as long as no-one “preaches” against another). Allow individuals to share in heartfelt testimony the power of a scripture verse found during the previous week. What did it do for them? How did it help them? These moments can be some of the most powerful in the week and they are found during this sweet portion of FHE.

Activity Time!

Items Needed:

• Paper and pen for each person

1. Ask: who are some examples of champions in this world? Allow the family to brainstorm ideas out loud.
2. Pass out the papers and pens. Invite each person quietly to write down of some of the most worthy, yet hardest things ever done by human beings. (If you have serene music, play it in the background during this quiet time of thinking—playing the length of one hymn of instrumental music would do nicely here. You can even go the Church's website to find hymns to play out loud.)
3. When everyone has had the opportunity to think of something difficult, invite them to take turns sharing what they thought and wrote. BUT before the next person's turn, brainstorm with the family what strengths came out of doing those particular hard things?
4. Allow each person to have the opportunity to share the “hard” experiences they wrote down, coupled with brainstorming on the significant gifts that doing hard things brings. (You may want to go first, to set the example.)

Application:

Read the following quote from Sister Elaine S. Dalton:

As a family, brainstorm and discuss its possible meanings.

Read the following scripture in Philippians 4:13:

Discuss its meaning.

Testify of the importance of handling challenging situations. Share with your family your witness of the importance of struggle and effort and how hard things can bring out the “champion” within each one of us. If you have a personal family example (i.e. from an ancestor), share it.

Identify for the family what it would be like if Heavenly Father never allowed hard things in our lives. Maybe it would be like being invited to an amusement park, but not being allowed to ride any of the rides (especially those amazing roller coasters).

What kind of exhilaration will we feel at the ends of our lives if we did tackle worthy challenges and worked to conquer them (even if it takes us more than a few tries)? Allow the family to share their thoughts.

• To finish, brainstorm as a family a hard goal. Find something significantly hard, such as training for a local marathon run or planning a weeklong camping adventure. Write down the goal in big letters on an index card to post on the fridge, such as “We are excited to be in training for this summer's triathlon.” Then brainstorm monthly, weekly, and daily goals to bring it about. Write those on individual index cards and post them also. Identify each person's week to help inspire the rest of the family to the goal and to help in its achievement (make sure to take turns for this role).

When we do the hard (whether doing chores before playing or running a marathon), we find the champion inside us. Testify that when a person attempts hard things, that effort creates strength within—even if he or she doesn't succeed easily. The world won't tell you this, but that kind of effort is exactly the “championship spirit” the Lord needs for the heroes on His team (each of us). He doesn't care who wins the race; He just cares if we run it.

Closing Song: #224 I Have Work Enough to Do

Closing Prayer: By Invitation.

Refreshments: These “Morning Glory Muffins” are absolutely mouthwatering … and a perfect end to this FHE. Have the kids help you make them and pop them into the oven just before FHE. Pull them out to let them cool, then when FHE is done, have the whole family help you ice them. Baking yummy treats sometimes requires hard work, but the fruits of that labor are delicious and well-worth the “hard” involved. It is tackling the hard things that helps us savor the champion spirit within us!

Struggling with your teens? C.S. Bezas' book is an essential help for parents and youth leaders. Powerful Tips for Powerful Teachers teaches you how to create powerful change. Visit your local LDS bookstore or get your copy online here.