1990
Sharing Time: Try to Be Like Jesus
September 1990


“Sharing Time: Try to Be Like Jesus,” Friend, Sept. 1990, 12–13

Sharing Time:

Try to Be Like Jesus

What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am (3 Ne. 27:27).

Do you ever wish that you could be just like someone else? Maybe you want to be as strong as an athlete or sing as well as a recording star. Perhaps you’d like to be as smart as an astronaut or as beautiful or handsome as the actors on TV. You might want to be just like your mother or father, an older brother or sister, a favorite teacher, your Primary president, or your bishop. When you want to be like someone, you try to do the same things and act the same way that they do.

Heavenly Father wants you to try to be like His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus was perfect. The way He lived when He was on the earth is the way you should try to live today. He said, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15).

Are you trying to be unselfish and kind? Are you trying to love other people and be a good friend? Are you trying to be helpful and serve others? When you try to do these kinds of things, you’re trying to be like Jesus.

Instructions: The children in the following examples are trying to be like Jesus. Read each situation, look up the scripture to see what Jesus would do, then circle the answer that will help the child/children be most like Him.

  1. Sabina had asked her younger sister not to use her crayons, but her sister used them anyway every time she wanted to.

    To try to be like Jesus, Sabina could:

    1. get angry with her sister.

    2. hide her crayons.

    3. forgive her sister.

    Read Matthew 18:21–22. [Matt. 18:21–22]

  2. Katie decided to bake some cookies and take them to a neighbor who was sick. They had a nice time visiting together.

    To be like Jesus, Katie could:

    1. feel good inside, but tell no one else about what she’d done.

    2. brag to her friends about the nice thing she’d done.

    3. tell the bishop that she had visited a neighbor.

    Read Matthew 6:3–4. [Matt. 6:3–4]

  3. A new boy in school kept showing off and bragging about how smart he was.

    To be like Jesus, the other children could:

    1. ignore the showing off and bragging and accept this boy as their friend.

    2. tell the boy not to show off and brag.

    3. tease him and tell him that he’s stupid.

    Read 3 Nephi 14:1–2. [3 Ne. 14:1–2]

  4. Tiffany’s mother asked her to clean the sink in the kitchen.

    To be like Jesus, Tiffany could:

    1. forget to clean the sink.

    2. clean the sink and wipe off the counters too.

    3. clean just the sink, as her mother had asked.

    Read Matthew 5:41. [Matt. 5:41]

  5. It was hard for Stan to be friends with Brandon. Brandon was not able to run like the others and kept tripping over his feet. In class, he didn’t know how to do his arithmetic and he kept forgetting his spelling words.

    To be like Jesus, Stan could:

    1. find ways to play with Brandon that didn’t involve running.

    2. help Brandon with his schoolwork.

    3. do both a and b.

    Read Luke 6:31.

  6. Madison’s brother kept teasing her and calling her names.

    To be like Jesus, Madison could:

    1. call her brother a mean name to get even.

    2. tell her parents what happened and let them punish him.

    3. tell her brother that she loved him and say something nice about him.

    Read 3 Nephi 12:39. [3 Ne. 12:39]

Answers:

Sharing Time Ideas

  1. Choose a child to read each situation. Have three children each give one of the multiple choice answers and tell why their answer would or would not be the best choice. Another child could read the scripture.

  2. Assign a number to each letter of the alphaber (1=A, 2=B, etc.) Using the number code, write the scriptures and have the children decipher them.

  3. Write the letters J-E-S-U-S down the side of a page. Using each letter as the beginning of a word or pharse, write things that describe Jesus. For example: Just, Example, Shepherd, Understanding, Savior.

  4. Younger children could pantomime the actions of another. Sing “Do as I’m Doing” Children’s Songbook, page 276.

  5. Tell or dramatize scripture stories of people who were trying to be like Jesus. Sing songs listed in Topics, “Jesus Christ—Example” Children’s Songbook.

  • (1) c, (2) a, (3) a, (4) b, (5) c, (6) c.

Illustrated by Robyn S. Officer