"Help your children in every way you can to grow up with a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Teach them to pray. Teach them to observe the Word of Wisdom, to walk faithfully and humbly before the Lord so that when they grow up to manhood and womanhood they can thank you for what you have done for them and look back over their lives with grateful hearts and with love for their parents for the manner in which those parents cared for them and trained them in the gospel of Jesus Christ."
--President Joseph Fielding Smith
A few weeks ago a sweet lady in our ward, Sister Olsen, asked me if I'd speak for a few minutes in her Relief Society lesson on things we do in our family to help our kids know the gospel and gain a testimony of the Savior.
She called me yesterday to remind me that the lesson was today. One thing she said really hit me: she knew there were going to be mothers in the room who would feel guilty about that lesson on raising children, who would only think of the things they did wrong.
That reminded me of a powerful meeting we had at church a couple months ago, when members of our congregation were getting up and sharing their testimonies. One wonderful older lady was talking about how every single one of her children had joined her to serve in the St. George temple as part of their family reunion, and how much that had meant to her and how happy it made her. It was really neat to listen to that, especially since I'd seen her family pictures of that day on Facebook.
A few minutes later, this other woman got up and said she felt strongly she should share her feelings about raising a non-typical family in the Church. She said she probably wouldn't ever have an experience like the other woman had shared where everyone was in the temple, etc, but she loved the gospel, and she loved her family so much. It was a really good reminder to not judge and to just keep doing the very best that you can.
So...when I read the lesson that we would be studying in Relief Society today, I had those very feelings that Sister Olsen mentioned--doubt, guilt, and worry about all the things we could be doing better for our kids, to help them have a knowledge of and love for the Savior and His gospel.
It was not a fun feeling.
But then I thought about Jesus Christ, and His mercy and love, and I remembered some of the things we are doing right, like having family home evening, emphasizing family time together, teaching our kids how to work, expecting honesty and integrity, eating dinner together every night, saying family prayer, and attending church together.
And I felt better. I felt the truth of that scripture--"by their fruits ye shall know them"--and thought that if you just looked at Rhiannon and Wade and watched their goodness and their good choices, that Jason and I were doing something right. We can always improve and do more, but it was comforting to remember the good things we've done and that we're doing, and to keep trying!
