Inasmuch AS PARENTS HAVE CHILDREN IN ZION

IN AS MUCH AS PARENTS HAVE CHILDREN IN ZION

Last month’s Grandparent Chronicles ended with a question- “If we don’t teach these true principles in the home, where else will our children learn them?

In a time of world-wide pandemic and limited church gatherings, this question becomes even more important.  We are happy to report that since then, we have had the privilege of staying with most of you and have enjoyed with you wonderful family home evening lessons, family prayer, sacrament meetings and beautiful family time with you and our amazing grandchildren. As a Family we aren’t perfect yet, but heading in the right direction.  We can all improve with our personal and Family scripture study. We hope that you will all prayerfully consider how to improve in this and anyway other way you can help your children.

We think that overall, you are better parents than we were. Please know that we tried.  As a family, we were pretty good at meal- time and family night- time prayers.  We hope you remember our efforts at weekly Family Home Evening and even family scripture reading. We actually read through the Book of Mormon 3 times as a family!  You no doubt even recall our periodic “interviews” which were obviously among your most favorite childhood memories! We also took time to have fun together and consequently, we believe that we have lots of good memories and are a pretty close family still today.  We made the effort because we believe it was the right thing to do. (D&C 68:25,28) “ Inasmuch as parents have children in Zion,…that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.”(28 )” And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.”   However, as you too are beginning to experience, all these good efforts do not guarantee that our children will choose to follow our teachings or make perfect decisions.  Do you remember Alma and the four sons of Mosiah? Alma was a prophet and the leader of the Church and Mosiah was a prophet and king. They and their wives no doubt taught these boys righteous principles but using their agency, these boys went about to destroy the church of God.  Later, an angel came and called them to repentance and explained that he had come because of the prayers of their parents. These parents knew that their children had their God given agency and that they had the right to choose so rather than trying to force them they continued to love and pray for them.  Coming from such amazing families, how could their children choose a destructive life-style? Let’s be honest here, Satan is very good at what he does. Sin can be made to look more fun than the alternative and short-term vision is his specialty. The scriptures tell us that since the fall of Adam man became fallen man with “Natural Man Tendencies.” (2Ne 9:6)  It follows then that Kids would have “Natural Kid Tendencies” as well.  We should not be surprised if our children would rather stay in bed than get up and do something productive, if they would rather play video games than read scriptures, choose girl or boy friends over mission service, and watch fun movies over attending church in a building or at home or choose to eat sweets over vegetables.  We live in a world where ease is preferred over effort and the physical trumps the spiritual.  This is Natural.  But since the Natural man is an enemy to God, (Mosiah 3:19), we have the task of overcoming the Natural Man and helping our children understand the importance of them overcoming the Natural Kid tendencies.  Balance is really the key! We must learn and help our children learn that they can enjoy much of the good which the world offers in moderation and still develop the Spiritual qualities that can elevate, up-lift and refine.  I firmly believe that if our children know:

 1^st- that we love them unconditionally,

2^nd-that we have a sacred duty to help them learn all they will need to know and be, in order to become responsible adults. 

3^rd -that we would love and appreciate their cooperation and input in helping us to be good parents but that we respect their agency to choose.

These children of ours will allow us the opportunity to counsel with and guide them and even help us be better parents. 

IF we DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM OUR SACRED DUTY but approach our sacred duty to these children in a Christ like manner, I believe most of them will choose to follow.  If they choose Not to follow your loving guidance, they will still know they are loved Unconditionally!

Please accept this humble offering as reinforcement of ALL we know you are currently doing and not a reprimand for what you mat not be doing.  Just as you have not witnessed all of our tears, prayers, fasting and efforts invested in our children, we have not witnessed all you have done to help your children as they face challenges, yet we know that your efforts have been and are constantly there!  As Grandparents and as parents, whether our children still live at home or not, we must continue to do any thing and everything to help this precious next generation whom we All Love Unconditionally!!

Much love- The Grandparent Chronicles