Sweet Lessons Taught To Us By Our Children

Today I was taught a valuable lesson by our sweet little four year old. As part of the LDS faith, when we attend church the second and third hour of church are set aside for the adults to go to their designated classes and the children to attend what we call Primary. Primary is set up specifically for the teaching of little children. Today our little daughter was taught about the principle of agency. They played a game in which the children were given scenarios where they would have to make a right or wrong choice. If they chose the right choice they would get to pick a ballon with a happy face. If they chose the wrong choice they would pick a ballon with a sad face.

You may wonder what this has to do with the lesson I was taught by our daughter. When I came home my daughter immediately began to teach me all about this lesson and what it means to make a right choice. She told me that "she went to the grocery store to buy peanut butter and her friend asked her to steal a candy bar." She then told me with all the excitement in the world that she told her friend no and she was making a happy choice.

I was very touched and at that moment I realized that although she is only four the principles and things that we teach our children are remembered. It may not seem that way when we are trying to teach our children to clean up the toys or not to hit their sibling, but I am confident that when we are trying our best to teach our children the correct princples that God wants them to know they will remember. With the help of our Heavenly Father our children will remember those important lessons we are trying to teach.

I love the picture above because it illustrates that out of all of the people Christ needed to teach while he was on the earth, he needed to teach the children. He took the time to teach the children the important lessons that will lead them back to our Heavenly Father. Christ said, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."   
-Matthew 18:3-4.

To all those parents out their struggling with their kids young or old, I say turn to the Savior and teach them the lessons taught by him. God is aware of every last child on this earth. He is aware of their struggles and challenges. He is also aware of their parents and their dilligent efforts in striving to teach their children. I would also say that he is aware of all of the parents not striving to teach them the important lessons taught by Christ. I promise that God will assist every parent in teaching those principles of righteousness to their kids by helping them remember. The joy that comes with seeing your children make good choices when you are not around will be overwhelming knowing that you took the time to teach them. 

 



Perfection?

This week I had a few great discussions with some of my co-workers about the idea of becoming perfected. I felt it was only appropriate to attach the picture above since I sometimes feel like the woman at the Saviors feet. Some days I feel completely overwhelmed with my inadequacies and feel as if I am not worthy of receiving our Heavenly Fathers blessings.

During my discussions with my co-workers we all started talking about our weaknesses and the different struggles that we face when it comes to spiritual things. It was interesting to me that none of us struggled with the same thing. Each one of us had our own struggles and our own weaknesses when it came to our spirituality. The thought came to me while we were talking that although all of us struggled with different things and felt exactly like this woman did in this picture, each one of our struggles are equally as important to the Saviour and our Heavenly Father.

As I brought this idea into the discussion another thought came up. A scripture found in the New Testament, "Be ye therefore perfect". When I took a second to think about this phrase it immediately became overwhelming for me. To think of all of the struggles we just spoke about and to see all of my weaknesses out on the table I was completely overwhelmed. As human beings how does God expect us to become perfect.

Later as I came home and searched the scriptures under the word perfection I found phrases like, "perfect in Christ Jesus", "perfect and complete in all the will of God", "being made perfect", "make you perfect in every good work" and the list goes on and on. I realized that the goal of this life is not to be perfect but through our experiences to become closer to perfection. We will never be able to obtain perfection in this life. We will always fall short. This is where the Savior Jesus Christ steps in. He makes up for our weaknesses. During those time when we feel inadequate he steps in to make up the difference.

As I studied this topic in the scriptures I came to the conclusion that our goal in life should be to become perfect at striving for perfection. What I mean by that is in everything we do we should be striving to get better. God recognizes that we have weaknesses and we make mistakes. He also recognizes when we realize those mistakes and don't take action to get better. The Savior Jesus Christ will ALWAYS make up the difference as long as we are continually striving to become better.

I am thankful for my co-workers for the great experiences they shared with me this week. I am glad they were able to help me to realize where I need to do better. Most importantly I am grateful for the Savior Jesus Christ and when he steps in to help make up for my weaknesses. To end my blog post for this week I ran across a scripture and video this week that I found fitting for this post. "Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." -2 Corinthians 13:11.

 

 



John 14:6

 

As I was reading in the New Testament this week I came across a scripture in John chapter 14 that really stuck out to me. Christ speaking to his Apostles says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." As I reflected upon this scripture today I have come to conclude that the Savior Jesus Christ heals all. Through the Savior Jesus Christ we can be healed of our sorrows, our weaknesses (both spiritual and physical weaknesses), both our physical and emotional pains, our shortcomings, our doubts, and most importantly our sins. Whenever anything is in disarray in my life my first question to myself is "how is my relationship with the Savior".

This week I had the opportunity to teach Sunday school in Church. For those of you who are not of the LDS faith in the LDS church we go to church for three hours every week. One of those hours is designated for what we call Sunday School. In Sunday School we have teachers who are asked to prepare lessons to share with those in the congregation. This is all done on a volunteer basis. My topic today in class was on Agency. Now you might ask how does Agency tie in with John 14:6. Well at the end of my lesson I shared a video with the class. I have included it at the bottom of the post. The video is about a man who suffered a tragic loss because of the poor misuse of another person's agency. In the video it talks about the man overcoming this tragic loss through the Savior Jesus Christ.

During this life we are faced with challenges and decisions every day. God has given us this life as a time to be tested based on the decisions we make. Sometimes those around us make poor choices which effect us. Sometimes we make poor choices that effect others. Other times we make all the right choices and life still happens to throw us a curve ball. In all three instances it is up to us to turn to the Savior Jesus Christ and overcome those challenges. There have been times in my life where I have seen others struggle and turn to everything else but the Savior. In the very moment that one turns to the Savior all of those things are made bearable.

Our goal in this life is to make it back to live with our Heavenly Father. The way he has made it possible for us to do that is through the Savior Jesus Christ. The Savior himself issued us a challenge to "Come unto me". Time after time in my life I have put that challenge to the test and time after time I have been reassured by the Savior of his promises to make our burdens lighter. I know with all of my heart that Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life". I issue a challenge for all of those who are struggling in their faith to put Christ to the test and turn to him. Take his challenge and see if his promises are true.

 

 



 

This week I was driving in the car by myself when I heard an ad come on the radio. The ad was for the actual radio station trying to encourage more people to listen to the radio. A woman came on the radio who sounded like she was in her early 20's. She made a statement that has stuck with me all week. She said, "Some people turn to God but I turn to music. Some people turn to prayer but I turn to song." I was so caught of guard by this ad that I have not been able to shake this all week long. I remember a time not to long ago when things like this were not heard of. When people had a faith in God and a desire to turn to him during rough times.

In our church one of the things the church has counseled us to do is have what we call "Family Home Evening". This is a time where once a week you gather your family together and have a night dedicated to spending time with your family and teaching your kids things that will bring them closer to our Heavenly Father. Tonight for our Family Home Evening we discussed with our 4 year old and our 2 year old the importance of having a faith in God. The importance of having a belief in the all knowing and all loving Father in Heaven. It is becoming very difficult for us and even more difficult for our children to remember our faith throughout the day. We get hit at all angles through out the day and it is difficult to stay true to our faith.

In Luke chapter 21 it talks about "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:" During these times of difficulty and uncertainty there is one thing that will never change and never be uncertain. That is the love of our God and the forgiving power of his son Jesus Christ. For some it may appear that nothing in their life is certain or stable. I can promise that through the Savior Jesus Christ and our loving Heavenly Father we can all find certainty and stability in our lives. When one comes to know God and his plan for his children that person will find purpose and meaning in life. I have seen this in my own life and in many others lives around me.

This life can be very difficult to understand and to get through but with the God our father and the Savior Jesus Christ in our life we will find direction and purpose. They are the compass that guide us through the winds and storms of the ocean. I know that now more than ever it is important for us to teach our children. I am amazed at our little 4 year old and how much she remembers. There have been many times when I have been driving in the car and my 4 year old has mentioned something she learned at church or during Family Home Evening. Lastly, I found a video that I found very appropriate for this post. I hope you enjoy the video and thanks for following our blog. Please continue to read, follow, and share to help others feel the love of the Savior.