Come, Follow Me
How can I strengthen my family?

How can I strengthen my family?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

“Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful … families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 145). As we assist our parents in accomplishing these goals, we can help our families attain the happiness Heavenly Father wants for us.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What experiences have you had with your family that have brought you happiness? What blessings have you seen in your family as you have followed the Savior’s teachings?

What do you know about the family life of the young women you teach? How can you help the young women understand that families are happier when they strive to follow the teachings of the Savior?

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior showed His love for others through giving service. It was His mission to seek those in need and bless them. Individuals were converted and lives were changed through His good works. How can you emulate this quality as a leader? How might you help the young women recognize the blessings that come from following the Savior’s example of service in their own families?

Video: “Strengthen Our Families”

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

  • In his talk “In Praise of Those Who Save,” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught of families: “We may share the same gene pool, but we are not the same. We have unique spirits. … We can choose to celebrate these differences.” What unique traits or strengths does each young woman have? How can each young woman use her unique strengths to bless her family? Class members could also search portions of the talk in small groups, looking for and sharing things that stand out to them. How can the young women celebrate the differences in their families? What ideas can they share about how they can strengthen their family relationships?

  • Have young women read portions of Bonnie L. Oscarson’s talk “Defenders of the Family Proclamation.” In this talk, Sister Oscarson taught that “all of us—women, men, youth, and children, single or married—can work at being homemakers. We should ‘make our homes’ places of order, refuge, holiness, and safety” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 17). Invite the young women to search Sister Oscarson’s talk, looking for a quote that they can display in their homes or rooms that inspires them to strengthen their family. What can they do now to help their homes be holy, orderly, and safe?

  • As a class, read the seventh paragraph of the “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” looking for principles that can help the young women achieve happiness in family life. Ask each young woman to read 1 Nephi 16:14–32 and share ways Lehi’s family applied these principles. Ask them to share experiences they have had that have taught them the importance of these principles in family life.

  • Ask the young women to listen for ways to increase love in the home as they sing or listen to “Home Can Be a Heaven on Earth” (Hymns, no. 298) or “Love Is Spoken Here” (Children’s Songbook, 190). Ask them to share what they find. Invite them to share an experience in which they have felt happiness because they were shown love or because they helped increase the love in their home.

  • Ask the young women to read “Family” in For the Strength of Youth or watch one of the videos in this outline and find things they can do to strengthen their families. What examples do the young women know about of families in the scriptures who did or did not follow these principles? Invite the young women to look at the table of contents of For the Strength of Youth and discuss how living the other standards in this book can help invite the Spirit in their homes. Invite them to choose one thing they will do during the coming week to strengthen their families.

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young women apply what they learned in this lesson.