Following "The Son"

This weeks Young Women Lesson is

Following the Example of Jesus Christ

{lesson 3 from Manuel 1}

We decided to make this lesson one of our Joint YW lessons that we teach monthly. In trying to decide how to best approach this lesson I felt to use the example of the sunflower as a symbol of following "The SON-Jesus Christ" As the sunflowers follow the sun as part of their creation.

Here's my lesson:

I want to tell you today about Sunflowers. As a young girl, my Dad would grow Sunflowers in our garden. They are such interesting plants as they start as a simple seed, but as they grow they seem to have this great purpose about them.

One is to grow sunflower seeds, and the other is to “Follow the Sun”

Did you know when a Sunflower is young it follows the sun. In the morning it faces the East, and by Sunset it is facing the West. Everyday, it seeks the sunlight and faces towards it so that it can soak up the most light. As the sunflower matures it stays firm and steadfast in the direction where it receives the most light. As it receives light it grow and progresses becoming brighter and brighter and producing wonderful 'fruit' called sunflower seeds. If plants don’t receive light, they wither and die.

Discussion: Now how can we compare ourselves to a sunflower?

• What light do we need to grow and progress? [The Savior is our light. We need to turn our faces towards Him. We need Him. Without His light in our lives everyday, we will suffer. We won’t grow and progress to become like Him. ]

Chalkboard & yw participation:What are some of the things we must do in order to be filled with this light of "the SON" --the Son of God? Use these quotes to hand out to the YW. See {Light and Growth, Lynn A. Mickelson, Sept. 2004 Ensign}

Faith

We must have faith in the Lord. The prophet Alma compares the word of God to a seed and challenges us to begin with a desire to believe; then, when the seed begins to sprout in our hearts, our understanding will be enlightened and our faith will grow (see Alma 32:27–30). Faith opens the windows of our hearts to the light of Christ and chases darkness from us. As our faith increases, we grow toward the light, and our capacity to receive that light is magnified (see D&C 50:24).

Prayer

We must pray. The Lord’s instructions are explicit: we must ask, seek, and knock to receive the promises He has made to us . Any great outpouring of light has always been given in answer to prayer. The Nephites experienced this when the Savior visited them: “And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof” (3 Ne. 19:25). Daily prayer keeps our eye single to His glory and facing toward the light.

We must repent of our sins. Sin limits light. As we follow the counsel of the Lord and repent of our sins, we open the way for the infusion of light.

We must keep covenants The covenant of baptism by water is a prerequisite to receiving the light that accompanies the gift of the Holy Ghost. Each week we may renew this sacred covenant as we partake of the sacrament, thereby increasing our access to the Savior’s light.

We must look to our patriarchal blessings. Our patriarchal blessings can be a significant source of light. We must seek the light that the Lord has personally promised each of us and live up to the heritage to which we have been called.

Follow the Prophet

We must follow the prophet. As we follow the prophet, we can enjoy blessings similar to that which the children of Israel were given: “And the Lord went before them … to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light” (Ex. 13:21). The prophet reflects the light of the Lord, which can guide us as we travel along our mortal journey.

Scriptures

Read our scriptures: Scriptures are like {packets of light} that illuminate our minds and give place to guidance and inspiration from on high. They can become the key to open the channel to communion with our Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. –Elder Richard G. Scott,{The Power of Scripture}

Discussion" The Sunflower produces seeds that can be enjoyed by all. What could the seeds represent in our lives as we follow Jesus Christ? Write on the chalk board

Have the Young Women look up the following Scriptures:

2 Nephi 31:10 And he said unto the children of men: ^aFollow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we ^bfollow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

3 Nephi 27:27 And know ye that ^aye shall be ^bjudges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what ^cmanner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even ^das I am.

John 13:15 For I have given you an ^aexample, that ye should do as I have done to you.

Moroni 7: 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, ^apray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true ^bfollowers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall ^cbe like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be ^dpurified even as he is pure. Amen.

As we partake of the sacrament every Sunday we are reminded to follow the example of Jesus Christ, but it is sometimes easy to become distracted by worldly influences throughout the week.

Group discussion: What can we do to follow Christ’s example all week long?

What can we do to influence our friends, family, and others to better follow the Savior’s
example?

You are My Hands
(President Uchtodorf, May 2010 Ensign)

"A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.

Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”

As we emulate His perfect example, our hands can become His hands; our eyes, His eyes; our heart, His heart.

May we all become the Savior's hands, eyes, and heart as we follow Him I promise you that as we expose our lives to greater light, we will continue to grow spiritually, and the light within us will grow “brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24).

Bear Testimony.

This is the handout I used.

Learn from the sunflower-

Follow the light that the Savior provides.

Gain strength from Him and His teachings.

Stand firm in your convictions.

Share His light with others.

Follow ‘The Son’