Give each child two pieces of paper and a pencil. On the first piece of paper, have each child write several blessings he or she has received. On the second piece of paper, have each child write something unkind that someone has done to him or her.

Have the children place the papers on which they have written their blessings on their laps and hold the papers that describe the unkind acts right in front of their eyes, touching their noses.

• Can you see the paper on which you listed your blessings?

Explain that sometimes when someone hurts our feelings, we think about our hurt feelings so much that we can no longer see or enjoy our blessings. Ask the children to crumple up the papers listing the unkind acts. Collect these papers or have the children put them in the wastebasket. Explain that we can feel happier when we forgive and forget about the unkind things others do and concentrate on our blessings.

Explain that Joseph Smith suffered persecution from many people. Ministers of other religions, strangers, and even some of his friends were unkind to him. He had to decide whether to let this unfair treatment make him angry and unhappy or to be forgiving to these people.

Teach the children about Joseph Smith’s reaction to those who persecuted him, as illustrated by the following historical account. Display the pictures at appropriate times.

Soon after the Church was organized, some of the members began to apostatize, or leave the Church. They quit attending Church meetings, opposed the Prophet, and persecuted the Saints. People apostatized for various reasons. For example, one man left the Church because his horse died while he was traveling to join the Saints in Missouri. Another man apostatized after he saw Joseph Smith playing with children. He thought a prophet should be too serious to play with children. One man saw that his name was misspelled on a Church document and thought that meant Joseph Smith was not inspired by God. Other people left the Church because they did not receive the help they expected with their financial problems. Some members left the Church because they could not forgive other members for actions that had offended them. After leaving the Church, these offended people often became the Church’s worst enemies.

Ezra Booth joined the Church in 1831 after seeing the Prophet heal Elsa Johnson’s arm (see lesson 19). Several months later he was called on a mission to Missouri. He was angry because he had to walk the entire journey and because missionary life was not what he had expected. He was disappointed because he did not see any more miracles like the healing of Elsa Johnson. He began to think and say bad things about the leaders of the Church. Because of his improper behavior during his mission, Ezra Booth was excommunicated when he returned to Ohio. This meant that he was no longer a member of the Church. Instead of repenting, Booth began writing letters to a local newspaper, telling lies about Joseph Smith and the Church. These letters influenced many people in Ohio to become suspicious of Church members and to persecute them.

One winter night a group of men who believed Ezra Booth’s letters got drunk and attacked the homes of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon in Hiram, Ohio. Joseph had been up late caring for his adopted son, who had the measles, and had just fallen asleep when the angry mob broke into the house. The men dragged Joseph outside, swearing and threatening to kill him. They choked him, tore off his clothes, and tried to push a paddle of hot tar and a bottle of acid into his mouth. The bottle of acid broke, chipping one of Joseph’s teeth and causing him to speak with a whistle for the rest of his life. The men in the mob also dragged Sidney Rigdon from his home. When Joseph saw Sidney lying on the ground, he thought Sidney was dead. The mob decided not to kill Joseph, but they scratched him severely, spread hot tar all over his body, and covered him with feathers.

When Joseph finally got home, Emma saw him and fainted, because she thought the tar covering Joseph was blood. Joseph’s friends helped him clean off the tar, a long and painful process. Sidney Rigdon had been knocked unconscious from the severe cuts and bruises to his head, and he was delirious for several days. Following this terrible experience, the baby that Joseph had been caring for that night caught a severe cold and died.

The next day was Sunday, and Joseph went at the usual time to worship with the Saints. The group of people he preached to included some members of the mob who had covered him with tar and feathers the night before. Even with his skin scraped and sore, Joseph preached as usual and never mentioned the violence of the night before.

Study the following questions and the scripture references as you prepare your lesson. Use the questions you feel will best help the children understand the scriptures and apply the principles in their lives. Reading and discussing the scriptures with the children in class will help them gain personal insights.

• Why did some of the early Church members apostatize from the Church? How could a forgiving attitude have helped them? What does the Lord say we should do when others offend us? (D&C 64:8–11.)

• What did the Lord say Ezra Booth had done wrong? (D&C 64:15–16.) What do we lose if we desire what is wrong? (D&C 64:16.)

• What unkind things did the mob do to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon? Why do you think they did these things?

• What did Joseph Smith do the morning after he was tarred and feathered? Who was in the congregation? How did Joseph Smith’s actions show that he was a forgiving person? (Joseph Smith did not seek revenge on those who had been cruel to him. He knew that Satan influenced them to oppose the important work of teaching the restored gospel and establishing Jesus’ church on the earth.)

• What did Joseph Smith do when he was faced with trials and persecution? (He continued to do the Lord’s work. He understood that Satan would do all he could to destroy the work of the Lord. When bad things happened, Joseph Smith made the best of the situation and continued serving the Lord.)

• How do you feel when someone is unkind to you? How do feelings of anger affect us? Help the children understand that being angry or unkind does not help us feel better. If we remain angry or act unkindly in return, we cause ourselves even more unhappiness. What could you do when someone is unkind to you? (See enrichment activities 1 and 3.) What might happen if you are unkind to the person who was unkind to you? What might happen if you are kind to that person?

• How can we follow Joseph Smith’s example and develop a forgiving attitude toward those who have hurt or offended us?

• How does having a bitter and unforgiving attitude affect us? How does having a forgiving attitude affect us?

• Whom are we required to forgive? (D&C 64:10–11.) Why is it important for us to forgive others? (D&C 64:9.) How do we feel when we forgive someone who has hurt our feelings?

Share your testimony about the peace we can feel when we have a forgiving attitude. Encourage the children to strive to be understanding and kind even when others are unkind to them.

Suggest that the children study Doctrine and Covenants 64:9–11 at home as a review of this lesson.

Encourage the children to share with their families a specific part of the lesson, such as a story, question, or activity, or to read with their families the “Suggested Home Reading.”