"...Teach them..." (Alma 37:32-34)

As a mother I want to make sure I give my best to our children. I get very concerned that I am doing enough, teaching them enough, nurturing them enough but not enabling them, especially now that they are getting older (I now have one on her own, another on a mission, and two teenagers still at home). It is such a hard balance at times. But today, as I was pondering my responsibilities and doing my scripture study two words jumped out at me in several verses. They are: "teach them". I have come to the conclusion that there are things I need to "teach them". Here is a short list to help me remember what really makes a difference in the big picture of what I need to focus on teaching our children:

"...Teach them an everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity. ...Teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly in heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls"  (Alma 37:32-34).

"And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work they must do" (Exodus 18:20).

 "Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father." (Mosiah 16:15).

 "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" (Mosiah 4:15).

 As I read and pondered these verses I realized that I must also learn these for myself. To do a good job of teaching them I must also do them. Some days I am a more effective teacher than others, but each day I keep trying...and then let God make up the rest. And He does. This I testify.

Jeff with 3 of our children when they were young! He is the best teacher ever!

Me with 3 of our children when we were young! Love teaching them all the time. It does not end.

"Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children" (Moses 6:58)

When riding my trike I often see plants growing in the strangest places. I will see them in cracks in the road, between rocks, and growing out of walls. Sometimes I will see them all alone and far away from others of their kind and I wonder how they got there. The flowers below I saw growing on the side of the road. They were small, and beautiful. I was moved by where they had chosen to bloom. No one would ever notice them unless one walked on the side of the road, a busy highway, and then they would have to look closely in order to see them.

In this picture you can barely notice the purple flowers growing on the side of the highway.

Close-up of the purple flowers.

Picture of tiny white flowers that were also growing alongside the road.

As I have seen many blooming flowers and plants growing in strange places, it has led me to ponder on the words from Elder Stanley G. Ellis, of the Seventy. He stated: "One thing we have often been taught is to bloom where we are planted. Yet sometimes we are tempted to migrate to some new area, thinking our children will have more friends and therefore better youth programs...do we really think the critical factor in salvation of our children is the neighborhood where we live? The apostles and prophets have often taught that what happens inside the home is far more important than what our children encounter outside. How we raise our children is more important than where we raise them" (The Lord's Way). Seeing the places where plants, flowers, and trees have chosen to "bloom" has truly made me realize that the most important thing to help my children fulfill their purposes on earth is to teach them truth and then live what I teach.

I am a practicing Christian, not a perfect one and therefore my children get to watch me practice what I preach. I am so grateful for repentance and that I can keep on practicing! There are many things I try to live and teach, but  these are some of my top priorities:

Teach them of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. I love this scripture: "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" (2 Nephi 25:26). I want our children to know there is always hope in Christ! I want our children to know Him, not only through words, but also action. To truly know someone we must study, learn, and then do as they do.

Teach them we have a living prophet whom the Lord's speaks through. (see D&C 1:38). What a blessing to hear a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson, who teaches God's will for us today (read his most recent words here). Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley said: "...if we have a prophet, we have everything. If we do not have a prophet, we have nothing. We do have a prophet. We have had prophets since the founding of this Church. We shall never be without a prophet if we live worthy of a prophet" (Believe His Prophets).

Teach them to love the commandments which is really loving God. "If ye love me keep my commandments" (John 14:15). The commandments are given for our protection, our growth, and our benefit. "He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for He loveth the world, even that He layeth down His own life that He may draw all men unto Him" (2 Nephi 26:24).

Teach them to love their neighbor and each other. "...ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another" (Mosiah 4:15; see also John 13:34; John 15:12). What better way to teach our children that we are all children of God than to have them love and serve one another and our neighbors.

Teach them that happiness comes from living the gospel and keeping covenants.  Elder Maxwell said it beautifully when he stated: "You will also see that the living of one protective principle of the gospel is better than a thousand compensatory governmental programs- which programs are, so often, 'like straightening deck chairs on the Titanic'" (Why Not Now?; see also Alma 41:10). And the scriptures state: "Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy" (D&C 128:19).

As we teach our children these simple truths we will not only grow in knowledge of Jesus Christ, but we will also bloom where we are planted, the garden of our home. I love what the Lord says to Adam: "Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children" (Moses 6:58). It is a commandment to teach our children the plan of happiness, teach them of Christ, which leads to incredible growth no matter our location.