Change Of Heart

Items needed:

A light that can be turned on slowly 
(a dimmer switch or even a phone or computer screen which can be adjusted)

A photo of a sunrise

Study: Helaman 15:4-8 and 3 Nephi 9:20

Ask: What does it mean to have a change of heart?
Listen to the answers

There is a story in the Book of Mormon that helps us to see what a change of heart means. 

There was a group of Lamanites who were making bad choices and wanting to fight and kill the Nephites because of the things they were taught. Let's read about them.

Ask: What changes do you see in these Lamanites?
Read: Helaman 15:4-6
Answer: They are no longer hated and doing evil; they are walking before God and keeping his commandments.

Ask: What brought the change of heart to the Lamanites?
Read: verses 7-8
Answer: They had faith on the Lord and repented.

Do you think this change happened quickly or slowly? Sometimes it does happen quickly. Remember the stories of Alma the Younger or King Lamoni? They both changed quickly and dramatically. 

What do you think about the change in these Lamanites? When Jesus Christ came to visit the Nephites after his resurrection he gave a hint about these Lamanites.

Read: 3 Nephi 9:20 (Pay attention to the very last line of the verse)
Answer: "They knew it not"

Ask: How could someone be baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, but not know it?

Sometimes changing is slow process.

Turn your light down until it is barely on. Ask the kids to tell you when the light is bright again. Slowly turn it up until it is all the way on. Ask them if it was hard to decide when the light became "bright."

What about a sunrise? Show the picture of a sunrise. If you are outside watching the sun come up in the morning, how do you decide when the sky is bright? It happens so slowly.

But, does it matter when the sky is bright or is the important thing that it does get bright?

We should be more patient with changes in ourselves and others. Don't worry about the changes being dramatic or quick, it's just important that they happen. Each little thing we do each day to be a little bit better, a little bit closer to Christ, will turn our hearts a little bit more to Him, until one day, we will have that change of heart and perhaps not even realize it happened.