It is our privilege and responsibility to help our children get far enough into the gospel.
Accidental conversation is not a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What did he want us to teach so freely among our children? The fall of Adam {and the Atonement of Christ}
We should start with those first parts of the plan of salvation as we try to introduce our kids intentionally to the gospel.
How can we teach, fortify, and prepare it children before they get onto the battlefield of life?
I’ve felt like a drill instructor – one whose recruits have been told they don’t need to listen if I’m not gentle.
Eternity is the wrong thing to be wrong about.
To our Heavenly Father, children have never been secondary—they have always been “primary.”
He trusts us to value, respect, and protect them as children of God. That means we never harm them physically, verbally, or emotionally in any way, even when tensions and pressures run high. Instead we value children, and we do all we can to combat the evils of abuse. Their care is primary to us—as it is to Him.
It is our privilege and responsibility to help children “get far enough in” to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we cannot begin too soon.
There is a uniquely special time in children’s lives when they are protected from Satan’s influence. It is a time when they are innocent and sin free. It is a sacred time for parent and child. Children are to be taught, by word and example, before and after they have “arrived unto the years of accountability before God.”
President Henry B. Eyring taught: “We have the greatest opportunity with the young. The best time to teach is early, while children are still immune to the temptations of [the] mortal enemy, and long before the words of truth may be harder for them to hear in the noise of their personal struggles.” Such teaching will help them realize their divine identity, their purpose, and the rich blessings that await them as they make sacred covenants and receive ordinances along the covenant path.
The task becomes immeasurably harder (but no less important) when we begin after they are subject to temptation – especially if they have yet to attain any wisdom.
We cannot wait for conversion to simply happen to our children. Accidental conversion is not a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Becoming like our Savior will not happen randomly. Being intentional in loving, teaching, and testifying can help children begin at a young age to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is essential to our children’s testimony of and conversion to Jesus Christ; we desire them to “always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them.”
Helping them feel and recognize the Holy Ghost is crucial in conversation whether we are early or late.
Consider the value of family conversations about the gospel of Jesus Christ, essential conversations, that can invite the Spirit. When we have such conversations with our children, we help them create a foundation, “which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if [they] build they cannot fall.” When we strengthen a child, we strengthen the family.
We have an immense challenge in our family because our children have no foundation but have built defenses against learning.
The Savior urged, “Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children.” And what did He want us to teach so freely?
- The Fall of Adam
- The Atonement of Jesus Christ
- The importance of being born again
We need to focus on these three.
A close personal friend learned this crucial lesson as an 18-year-old. He enlisted in the United States military … in the infantry to become a foot soldier. He explained that the training was grueling. He described his drill instructor as cruel and inhumane.
One particular day his squad was dressed in full battle gear, hiking in sweltering heat. The drill instructor suddenly shouted orders to drop to the ground and not move. The instructor was watching for even the slightest motion. Any movement would result in serious consequences later on. The squad suffered … with growing anger and resentment toward their leader.
Many months later our friend found himself leading his squad through the jungles of Vietnam. This was real, not just training. Shots began to ring from high in the surrounding trees. The entire squad immediately dropped to the ground.
What was the enemy looking for? Movement. Any motion at all would draw fire. My friend … reflected back on basic training. He remembered his intense dislike for his drill instructor. Now he felt intense gratitude… The drill instructor had … in effect, saved our friend’s life.
It’s hard being the drill instructor, knowing that those you teach do not really understand what you are preparing them for and generally don’t like you.
Alma taught us to “prepare the minds of [the] children.” We are preparing the rising generation to be the future defenders of the faith, to understand “that [they] are free to act for [themselves]—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.” Children deserve to understand this great truth: eternity is the wrong thing to be wrong about.
Try teaching a child who is dead set on the idea that he already knows everything – especially one who is consistently wrong on even the most basic and verifiable facts.
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