2022
Turning to God and to Our Families
March 2022

“Turning to God and to Our Families,” Liahona, Mar. 2022.

For Parents

Turning to God and to Our Families

Image
family hiking together

Photograph from Getty Images

Dear Parents,

We can receive God’s help to endure the trials and difficult times in our lives. This issue can help you teach your children about how the Lord can deliver us just as He did those who lived in Old Testament times. You can also use the ideas below to help you start discussions about ways to resolve conflict in our families.

Gospel Discussions

Adversity and Afflictions

Read Elder Christofferson’s article on page 6 about adversity. In what ways, with Heavenly Father’s help, can we let adversity refine us rather than defeat us? How can we minister to those who are themselves experiencing personal adversities?

Persevering through Trials

Read Elder Johnson’s article on page 44 about Joseph in Egypt. Invite your children to act out the story using costumes and props. Then discuss, as Elder Johnson noted, how God was with Joseph through the good times and the bad. How have you seen God’s hand in your life during your trials?

Resolving Conflicts

Read the article about conflict resolution on page 26. How can stories from the scriptures teach us about how to resolve conflict in our families? What can we as individuals do to be better peacemakers?

Come, Follow Me Support

To support your family’s weekly Come, Follow Me study this month, see page 48 for a list of the similarities between Joseph of Egypt and Jesus Christ.

Come, Follow Me Family Fun

Emotion Colors

Exodus 3:7

The Lord explained to Moses that He had seen the afflictions of the children of Israel, heard their prayers, and knew their sorrows (see Exodus 3:7).

  1. Assign each person an emotion based on the color they’re wearing most of:

    • Yellow = happy

    • Blue = sad

    • Red = angry

    • Green = calm

    • Orange = scared

    • Other = confused or surprised

  2. Each person will share a specific experience when they’ve felt that emotion.

  3. Can we tell how people are feeling just by their appearance or what they’re wearing?

  4. Who sees all our emotions, including our afflictions and sorrows, even when others might not be able to?

  5. Find scriptures that show how Jesus Christ knows and understands us.

Discussion: What are some trials we’ve been through? How can we know that the Lord was aware of us through those times?

Waiting for Blessings

Genesis 6–11; Moses 8

Genesis and Exodus contain many promises from the Lord, along with stories of people patiently waiting upon those promises. Jacob waits to see the blessing of becoming a great nation. Joseph waits for the Lord to help him out of prison. The children of Israel wait to be freed from the rule of Egypt.

  1. Choose one person to be the leader and have everyone else stand across the room.

  2. When the leader raises a hand, everyone takes steps toward him or her. When the leader puts the hand down, everyone stops. If someone is caught stepping when the leader’s hand is down, that person must go to the back of the room to start again.

  3. The first person to reach the leader gets to be the leader for the next game.

Discussion: Read together Mormon 8:22. As you read Genesis and the following books of the Old Testament this year, take special notice of all the promises of the Lord and when they are fulfilled. Why is it important to recognize promises of the Lord in our own lives and to trust in the Lord while we wait upon those promises?