Teach Them

Mosiah 4:14-15 (page 156): "And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another,... 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."

As a mother of two young children, I have often pondered what I need to teach my children and how. I have stressed about what I need to do in order to keep them from the dangers of the world. There have been times when I've allowed myself to take comfort in the time that I have before my children become teenagers, but I have realized that this false hope will only bring procrastination and failure. In a world filled with deception and filth, it is imperative that we begin teaching our children while they are young. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 states, "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

It can be difficult at times to explain the gospel of Jesus Christ to our children, especially when they are young, but it can be done and it should be. We are given great hope and motivation in Proverbs 22:6 which says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." This doesn't mean that our children might not stray. They are still capable of making their own decisions, but it teaches us the importance of helping our children build strong foundations while they are young. Alma 37:33 (page 303) tells us that we should "teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ."

Today is the time for our children to have strong, sound testimonies of the Savior and His gospel. They will be faced with the unimaginable. Satan will conjure up his greatest storms and attack from all sides. How in the world do we as parents prepare our precious little ones for the spiritual war that lies ahead? As a young mother, I do not profess to have the perfect answer, but I find comfort and guidance in the scriptures and in the words of the prophets and apostles.

1 Timothy 4:12 says, "...be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." I have often heard the saying that actions speak louder than words, and while I believe that is true, I also believe that words are also desperately needed. 2 Nephi 25:26 (page 100) states: "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."

We need to teach and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not enough to teach our children only occassionally. It is not enough to live the principles of the gospel only on Sunday. If we are to "train our [children] in the way [they] should go" as stated in Proverbs, we must continually teach by word and deed each and every day. We must take every opportunity to guide them with love. If we do this, they will know of our faith and testimony of Jesus Christ, and they will look to us as they develop their own testimonies. We can be a light and an example that they will follow as they tackle the challenges of life. We can be "instruments in the Lord's hands unto the salvation of many souls (Alma 17:11, page 251), including our children. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that it is the only true source of happiness. If we teach our children the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they will gain their own testimonies, find true happiness, and work out their salvation. I share this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.