In the World but Not of the World

Yesterday I got to teach in Relief Society again. The lesson was chapter 19 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, entitled, In the World but Not of the World.

Before Relief Society began, Steven helped me set up our lap top and a projector we had borrowed from the library. On the table in front, I set out four visual aids I had brought: a calendar, a glass bottle, a barbie doll, and my missionary badge. On the chalk board, I wrote the title of the lesson, as well as the words: What? How? Why? Challenges? Blessings?

I began my lesson by showing a movie, entitled Dare to Stand Alone. I felt like it set the tone for the lesson, and it helped to invite the Spirit.

After the movie, we talked about it a little. We read John 17:15-17, and I asked what it means to be in the world but not of the world. Some of the answers that were shared were that we have the commandments, and that we have a responsibility to set a good example for those around us. Someone else mentioned the importance of having a testimony and being converted, so we can resist the temptations that face us.

Then I invited someone to come up and select one of my visual aids. Each visual aid represented one of the commandments that Joseph Fielding Smith discussed in the lesson. I told the sisters which commandment it stood for (Calendar - Keeping the Sabbath day holy, bottle - Obeying the Word of Wisdom, Missionary badge - Respecting the name of Deity, Barbie Doll - Dressing modestly and keeping the law of chastity.) For each commandment, we answered the questions that were written on the board:

• What is the commandment?
• How do we keep it?
• Why is the commandment important / Why do we keep it?
• What are some of the challenges to obeying the commandment?
• What are the blessings we receive by keeping the commandment?

We had a lot of discussion and most of the sisters in the room participated, sharing their thoughts and stories.

Finally, when we had only a few minutes left, I shared the story in section 2:

The answer is a simple thing. If I sometimes, and once in a while I do, go to a football game or a baseball game or some other place of amusement, invariably I will be surrounded by men and women who are puffing on cigarets or cigars or dirty pipes. It gets very annoying, and I get a little disturbed. I will turn to Sister Smith, and I will say something to her, and she will say, “Well, now, you know what you have taught me. You are intheir world. This is their world.” And that sort of brings me back to my senses. Yes, we are in their world, but we do not have to be of it.
So, as this is their world we are living in, they prosper, but, my good brethren and sisters, their world is coming to its end. …
The day will come when we will not have this world. It will be changed. We will get a better world. We will get one that is righteous, because when Christ comes, he will cleanse the earth.¹⁹

Then I closed with my testimony of the importance of keeping the commandments, and of setting a good example and teaching those around us.

This was one of those lessons when I was worried going into it because I didn't have that much prepared to say, but it turned out great. The sisters participated, and it ended up really well with everyone teaching and learning from each other, and I think those are the best lessons!