I was reading in Mosiah, chapter four, recently and came upon this verse:
15. But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.
This is the Lord’s command to us as parents. Of all the things we do, of all the time we spend signing them up for soccer teams and dance classes and making sure their shoes fit and that they have clean underwear, these charges are the most important we can fulfill. We are to:
Teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness – we best do this by modeling it ourselves. As our children see us living our lives with integrity, they will know how to implement it into their own lives. As they see us study our scriptures, they will know where they can look to obtain the ways of truth. As they see us treat sacred things with respect, they will learn how to behave with soberness. Of course, we follow up our good examples by teaching them, verbally, the importance of these things, but they will take it to heart so much more efficiently if they see it modeled for them as well as hearing it.
Teach them to love one another – again, we best do this through example. Children watch how husbands and wives treat each other. They notice how we talk about our friends. They see us give service to those around us. Our children are little sponges, taking in everything they see and hear, for good and for bad. They will learn to treat others the same way they see us treating our friends and family. I must admit, I find this charge one of the most challenging – my children are all at the age where they’d as soon scratch each other’s eyes out as look at each other. Somehow, though, they are slowly learning to get along.
Serve one another – serving someone is a natural outreach of loving them. It’s impossible to love someone without desiring to do something nice for them. As our children come to us with ideas for nice things they can do for people, we can encourage them and support them in their ideas. We can help them make cookies for the lady next door, even if half the cookies stay at our house (making the service that much more desirable) We can suggest service to be done to those around us and involve our children in it. We can set the example that service brings joy and shouldn’t be a thing to be resented.
Our most sacred calling on this earth is to bring our children back to Heavenly Father, and as we seek His help in accomplishing this task, He will help us more than we ever thought possible. These are His children, even more than they are ours, and He cares for them so deeply.
Related Blogs:
Enjoying the Journey: Steps to Finding Joy Now
Don’t Give Your Children Everything