Heroes and Heroines

By Karen Ashton

“And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; … a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, … and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ” (Alma 48:11–13).

Do you have a hero or heroine that you look up to? A hero is a boy or man who has shown great courage, ability, or bravery and who has a noble and Christlike character. A heroine is a girl or woman with these same qualities.

We choose our heroes and heroines because we want to be like them. It is important that we choose as our heroes and heroines righteous people who are trying to live the gospel. Following a righteous hero or heroine’s example can help us choose the right.

Parents are often our heroes and heroines. They love us and teach us. They help us understand right from wrong. Besides doing the ordinary, everyday jobs to help our families, parents often make sacrifices that take great courage and faith. We can watch our parents and try to do the good things we see them do.

Heavenly Father has chosen living prophets to lead and guide us. They follow Jesus Christ and obey the commandments. Their lives are examples of choosing the right. The prophets can be heroes to us.

There are many heroes and heroines in the scriptures. As we read about them, we grow to admire the courage, faith, and obedience of those who served the Lord in the past. We want to be like them.

We are blessed by the examples of righteous leaders and teachers who love the Lord and have testimonies of the gospel. They also can be our heroes and heroines.

Jesus Christ is our greatest example. He always obeys his Heavenly Father. He lived a life full of love and sacrifice for others. We want to be like Jesus Christ.

Instructions

Choose your heroes and heroines by thinking about righteous people you want to be like. Carefully color the “My Heroes and Heroines” poster. Collect pictures of your heroes and heroines, and glue them to the poster—or draw pictures of them on the poster. Write their names beneath their pictures. Place the poster where it will help you remember to follow their examples.

Illustrations by Robert T. Barrett and Grant Romney Clawson based on original paintings by Arnold Friberg, Michael Deas, Ted Henninger, and Harry Anderson; electronically composed by Pat Gerber

Sharing Time Ideas

Explain that in every age, God has spoken to his children through prophets (see Amos 3:7). Play a game by asking the children to match biblical prophets with accounts recorded in the Bible. (For example: Which prophet baptized the Savior in the Jordan River?) Continue the game by matching Book of Mormon prophets with accounts recorded in the Book of Mormon. Then match latter-day prophets with accounts from their lives.
Ask (in advance) the members of your bishopric/branch presidency about their favorite scripture stories, memories, books, places, colors, sports, hobbies, foods, animals, and so on. Also ask them about things they do not like. Introduce the members of the bishopric/branch presidency to the children, and play a game by asking questions such as: “Which member of our bishopric says that the First Vision is his favorite scripture story?” Let the children guess the answers.
Sing the first verse of “I Am a Child of God” (Children’s Songbook, 2–3). Ask what the song says Heavenly Father has given us “an earthly home with parents.” Have each class make a list of ways parents help their children.
Invite several adults to talk about the righteous heroes and heroines they had when they were young. Ask them to tell how their heroes and heroines influenced their lives for good and helped them choose the right.