All the small things

Doctrine & Covenanants 64:33
Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

When I was reading this scripture referenced in a November 2009 General Conference talk, I thought about our own personal Family Home Evenings. We started doing FHEs about 2 years ago - we read about it and how to hold one, and with little kids, it was recommended that we make the first FHE a GREAT experience for the kids, and they will always want to have FHE. How true that was with our family! The week before our first FHE, we talked about it all the time with our kids, we got them excited about the lesson we would be talking about, about the fun game we would play, and of course about the yummy treats we would eat. When Monday evening came around, you would have thought it was Christmas morning, based off of the level of excitement in our kids! We had a great FHE, and at the end of the evening, we told our kids they will be able to do that every single Monday - they were ssoo happy!

It's now two years later, and every Monday, my kids are still so excited to be able to have FHE. I am grateful for that experience - because sometimes it is my kids motivating me to actually prepare an FHE. If they didn't know the difference, I know there are many times when I would have just skipped the lesson altogether. I know that FHEs are only a couple hours of one day of each week. Very simple. And so many great promises are given to us if we hold a consistent FHE. Our kids will know they are loved, they will know their home is a house of the Lord, they will have a refuge from the troubles of the world. The time needed to prepare and hold FHE may be small, but the blessings that come from it are beyond measure. I hope we can all be more motivated to consistently hold a Family Home Evening!