Visiting Teaching Thought for the Month Jan 2015 {Handout}

I set a goal for myself to produce a 'Thought for the Month' handout for the Sisters that I, and my companion, visit every month. I thought, since I am making them, perhaps I could share them for others to use too, along with a few of my own thoughts.

January's message is about The Attributes of Jesus Christ: Obedient Son. I particularly liked the following quote by Elder D. Todd Christofferson: "As we walk in obedience to the principles and commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we enjoy a continual flow of blessings promised by God in His covenant with us. Those blessings provide the resources we need to act rather than simply be acted upon as we go through life. … Obedience gives us greater control over our lives, greater capacity to come and go, to work and create.”

So often, obedience to rules or laws is considered restrictive or hampering to our every day lives, but in truth it opens up avenues we may not otherwise have been able to traverse. Through obedience  we gain spiritual strength and blessings which enrich our lives and help us get through challenges that otherwise may have been overwhelming. We can discover talents and abilities in ourselves that may have remained dormant, without the opportunity to obey and do the things the Lord commands us to do. Through obedience we increase our Faith in Christ and grow ever closer to becoming the people he wants us to be. Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: “It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become” (“The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32).

So, here is my 'Though for the Month' handout. To download the pdf file click here, or on the image above. (see bottom of post for a Dutch Version too)

I have also made clothes peg fridge magnets for each of our Sisters, that the handout can be pinned into each month, so that it can sit on the fridge visible, as a reminder of the months message. Click here, for the instructions and printable, to make your own fridge magnets.

Click here for the Spanish pdf.

 Click here for the Dutch pdf.