June 20, 2010

Tonight I am reading a Conference talk by Cheryl C. Lant titled That Our Children Might See the Face of the Savior. I enjoyed this talk and found it interesting that it tied in so closely with what I have been studying lately. She even quoted the same scripture I did a few days ago, D&C 93:1. I appreciated this confirmation of what it takes to see His face: "Coming to Christ, and eventually seeing His face, comes only as we draw close to Him through our faith and our actions. It comes through a lifetime of effort." That last phrase especially struck me because I have been making a sincere effort to do this gospel study every day with pen in hand and I've done it now for almost two weeks. That's such a short amount of time compared to a "lifetime of effort" but truly, it is my desire to make this a lifetime goal. I never want to stop. I do want to get better at doing it earlier in my day and on a more consistent basis.

Sister Lant uses the account in 3 Nephi as a "pattern to follow" for how to help me, as a parent, to help bring my children to Christ so they can see His face too. Because of my cross stitch hobby, I love the concept of following a pattern. It works. It really does. By following a pattern the best I can, my finished piece looks exactly like the picture I am given to begin with. The pattern she gives for helping our children come to Christ is that "First, we must love the Lord with all our hearts, and we must love our children. Second, we must become a worthy example to them by continually seeking the Lord and striving to live the gospel. And third, we must teach our children the gospel and how to live its teachings." She points out that these things take time, experience, and faith. I always need that reminder because I am very accustomed to seeking after things with immediate results. Working at something long enough to see results has been a lifetime challenge for me. It is important to me to follow this pattern of parenting.

I want my children to come to know God and Jesus Christ. I want them to learn from my example. And I want to be a good teacher to them. I just told my husband today that we ought to start having a regular family home evening with our little son and begin teaching him our of the nursery manual. I am so excited for the opportunity and blessing it is to be a mother and I hope that my children will learn to love God and to love others. I want them to really feel God as a part of their lives and to want to do their part to return to live with Him again. I want to be together as a family forever.