FHE: Grow Good Thoughts
Good thoughts harvest gratitude, love, and acceptance. Our thoughts shape
our actions, our habits, and our character. Our thoughts also affect our
relationships and how we approach everything in life.
Song: “Choose the Right Way”, Children’s Song Book, #160
Scripture: “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report…think
on these things.” (Philip 4:8.)
Quote: “We sow our thoughts, and we reap our actions; we sow our actions, and we reap our habits;
we sow our habits, and we reap our characters; we sow our characters, and we reap our destiny.”
President David O. McKay1
Lesson: Choose one family member to be the helper. Ask them to close their eyes and think of
anything but a pink elephant. Immediately ask them what their first thought was. Chances are it was a
pink elephant.
Ask family members: “If I plant carrots in my garden, is it possible that I will get a watermelon instead of
carrots?” That is not the way it works. We will reap what we sow, or in other words, we will harvest
what we plant. If we plant carrots, we get carrots. If we plant watermelon seeds, we will get a
watermelon. It is the same with our minds. If I put a pink elephant in my thoughts, I will be stuck
thinking about a pink elephant.
Ask family members: “What are some of the good seeds we can plant in our minds?” (Some responses
may be scriptures, uplifting music, good books, or kind thoughts.)
Each of us makes choices every day. We choose to get out of bed, we choose to be happy or grouchy,
we choose to how we spend our time. Every choice has a consequence, including those choices of what
we put in our minds. If we watch television shows that put bad images in our minds, we will remember
those images. If we watch something beautiful or uplifting, we will remember those images.
Sometimes we have mean or unkind thoughts. Maybe we think of something that scares us. We might
even think of bad words we have heard. Our minds are not capable of thinking two things at the same
1
Elder Delbert Stapley, “Good Habits Develop Good Character”, Ensign, November 1974.
time. In order to get rid of that bad thought, we have to plant something new. Maybe we can sing a
primary song, read our scriptures, or think of something happy…and poof! That bad thought disappears.
Discuss with your family the kinds of music, movies, video games and other media that could “grow
good thoughts”. Perhaps discuss your family’s rules regarding media use, such as, what is appropriate
or if your family has rules on when or how long media can be used during the day.
Most Primary children are familiar with the song, “I am a Child of God”. Practice this or another familiar
Primary song, or hymn, with your family to use against those bad thought “weeds” the next time they
creep in.