Opening Song: Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel #252
Lesson: The Meanings and Blessings of Family Work
Ask this question: Is family work a God-ordained necessary evil?
Ordinary housework may often be considered a waste of time but in reality, it can be a time of closeness and fun that strengths the bonds of families as wells as develops Christlike virtues.
The work that we do as families provides endless opportunities to recognize and fill others' needs. It teaches us to love and serve another and invites us to be like Jesus Christ himself.
Watch the following video:
Read this quote given by Elder Neal A. Maxwell:
"The divine attributes of love, mercy, patience, submissiveness, meekness, purity......cannot be developed in the abstract. These require clinical experiences.....Nor can these attributes be developed in a hurry."
Think about what you do on a weekly basis as far as cleaning. Does one spouse do more than another? Do you have a chore list? Do you divide the list evenly? Do you do the housework together?
"When family members work together in the right spirit, a foundation of caring and commitment grows out of their shared experience. The most ordinary tasks, like fixing meals or doing laundry, hold great potential for connecting us to those we serve and with whom we serve" (Hawkins, Dollahite, Draper).
Read this quote by Elder Neal A. Maxwell:
"The home is the great laboratory of love. There the raw chemicals of selfishness and greed are melded in the crucible of cooperation to yield compassionate concern and love one for another."
As a couple, share a story or experience as a child that involved doing housework as a family. Did you find that experience enjoyable?
President Henry B. Eyring has promised that if we seek opportunities to work in behalf of others, "the Atonement working in our lives will produce in us the love and tenderness we need" (Erying, 1986).
Family work becomes a joyful blessing when not seen as a burden. "Daily rituals of cooking, packing, lunches, washing dishes, making beds, folding laundry, weeding gardens, sweeping floors, and countless other prosaic tasks are the invisible glue that can bind families together" (Hawkins, Dollahite, Draper). Instead of asking how to make such work go away, we should ask how we can use it to increase love and joy in our families.
Closing Prayer
Activity: Couple Chores
For the activity this week, sit down as a couple and write out a list of chores that need to be done that week. As a couple, decide which chore you would like to do on that list and complete the chore together for the activity. For the rest of the chores on the list, plan a time when you both can complete all of them later that week.
Dessert: Triple-Layer Peanut Butter Brownies
You can find the direct link the recipe here.
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz) brownie mix (13x9-inch pan size)
- 1 pkg. (3.4 oz) vanilla flavor instant pudding
- 1 cup cold milk
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-1/2 cups Cool Whip topping (do not thaw)
- 3 oz. Baker's semi-sweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Directions:
- Prepare and bake brownies in 13x9-inch pan as directed on package; cool. Meanwhile, beat pudding mix and milk with whisk 2 min. Add peanut putter and sugar; mix well. Refrigerate until brownies are completely cooled.
- Spread over brownies.
- Microwave Cool Whip and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min., stirring every 30 seconds. Spread over pudding; top with nuts. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
Resources:
Text: Hawkins, Alan J., David C. Dollahite, and Thomas W. Draper. Successful Marriages and Families: Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 2012. Print.
Dessert: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/triple-layer-peanut-butter-brownies-111263.aspx
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