FHE on Fasting: Peanut Butter and Chocolate

When I was in high school my seminary teacher taught us a lesson on fasting using peanut butter and chocolate. I thought my family might enjoy it too. Plus, you get candy at the end, so it's good.

FHE Theme: Fasting

Scripture: D&C 59:14

Songs: "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" Children's Songbook and "Because I Have Been Given Much" Hymn #219

Object Lesson: Get a jar of peanut butter and some spoons. Talk about how a spoonful of peanut butter can taste really great. Give everyone a spoonful of peanut butter and have them eat it. Now get out some chocolate (like, say a Hershey's bar broken into pieces, or the equivalent there of). Talk about how chocolate can taste really great. And then give everyone a piece of chocolate to eat. Then get really swoony over good tasting things and tell your family how absolutely AMAZING peanut butter and chocolate taste TOGETHER. (If it's not your favorite combo just fake the love for the point of the lesson.) Have everyone eat the peanut butter and chocolate together, and make sure there are lots of, "That's SO GOOD" and "mmmMMMMmmm"s going on.

While everyone chews their peanut butter and chocolatey goodness read the scripture D&C 59:14. It says: "Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer."

Tell your family that the peanut butter represents fasting. Fasting, on it's own, is not a bad thing. It's actually pretty good. You can learn something from it, it shows Heavenly Father that you are willing to make sacrifices, and going without food for 24 hours can be cleansing for your body.

Tell your family that the chocolate represents prayer. Prayer, on it's own, is great. Just like chocolate is great. And it goes well with LOTS of things. I mean, when is there ever a time that you don't want chocolate.....I mean, prayer?

Just like the scripture said when you pair fasting and prayer it's like rejoicing. It raises the experience to something wonderful. Fasting and Prayer go hand in hand like peanut butter and chocolate - complementing each other, making the learning experience even greater, showing Heavenly Father that not only are you willing to make sacrifices but you actually telling Him why, and showing Him that you are seriously trying to make the experience a positive and holy one.

A good family discussion would go great here. Or a testimony. Something personal.

End the lesson by giving everyone a package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or a small bag of Reese's Pieces, with this printable handout wrapped around it: