Arming Your Children

This is the talk that I gave in church today.

In a world where children encounter trials and confusion at every turn, arming them with a spiritual arsenal becomes a daily task. You might think that this boot camp training is best administered as a teenager, but starting in their infancy provides endless advantages to creating a spiritual armor.
Robert D Hales said: “Each family has its own special circumstances. But the gospel of Jesus Christ addresses every challenge—which is why we must teach it to our children.”

In the US Army, the stages of Basic Combat Training are broken into 5 phases. Like the army, we are charged with preparing our children for battle. The foe is more complex and cunning than any other, and our children’s need is greater than ever. We will simplify our parental training into 5 phases as well.

Phase 1: Introduction

Introducing the gospel to your children at a young age is perhaps the best beginning we can hope for. President Gordon B. Hinckley has counseled: “Let us nurture our children concerning Him whom we call the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us teach our children the grand saving principles of the gospel.”

Can you perceive of anything more important than laying a spiritual foundation for your children? What good would armor be without the defensive training needed to shield yourself?

Elder Gerald Causse said “Little children have a marvelous disposition to learn. They have total trust in their teacher, a pure spirit, and great humility—in other words, the same qualities which open the door to the Holy Spirit. “

Phase 2: Red: Basic Tactical Training: Prayer

The most basic tactic of your armament should be prayer. One of the first habits we started with Asher was saying nightly prayers. At first it was simply us praying to Heavenly Father for him. Thanking him for the park, and being able to play with his cousin Noah. But as he grew older, the prayers grew more mature and more important. While my brother was on a mission to Africa, we prayed for “Uncle Tyler” every night. By the time he got home, Asher knew my brother simply from our nightly prayers for him. Last week Asher gave the opening prayer in Primary and I was so proud as I helped him say that prayer.

Researchers say that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I would say that starting each day with a family prayer is the most important tradition of each day.

Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy had a new perspective on the effectiveness of family prayer and scripture study. He said: “We learned that later in the day at school they would probably not remember the exact words of the scriptures or the prayer, but they would remember that we did read scriptures and we did have prayer. Brothers and sisters, there is great power and protection for us and our youth in establishing celestial traditions in the home.”

Phase 3: White: Combat Training: Scripture Study

What better way to combat the struggles of a day than with the words of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the prophets.

Cheryl C. Lant, a former Primary President states “There is absolutely nothing more important we can do for our families than to strengthen them in the scriptures.” Many parents may think that children are too young to understand scriptures. In reality, the fact that a principle can be understood even by a child is proof of its power. President John Taylor said, “It is true intelligence for a man to take a subject that is mysterious and great in itself and to unfold and simplify it so that a child can understand it”

Elder Gerald Causse said “The Bible has probably been the subject of more interpretations and philosophical debates than any other book. However, a child reading this book for the first time will have at least as much, if not more, chance to understand the doctrine as the majority of those doctors of the scriptures. The Savior’s teachings are adapted to everyone. At eight years of age a child can have sufficient understanding to enter the waters of baptism and make a covenant with God with complete understanding.”

Scriptures can be simplified and taught to any age group. If you’re still a little hesitant to tackle scripture study with a toddler, several church bookstores sell children based bible stories that will help hold a child’s attention.

Phase 4: Blue: Weapons Training: Teaching by Example

A weapon that will stay in your child’s arsenal forever, is the example their parent’s set.

Henry B. Eyring said “The child learns both from what the parents do and what they say. The child who sees a mother or a father pass through the trials of life with fervent prayer to God and then hears a sincere testimony that God answered in kindness will remember what they saw and heard. When their trials come, they will be prepared.”

My father became bishop at age 33, and had 4 kids under the age of 12. Now that I’m a parent, I can’t fathom how my parents did it. My father also owned his own business and needless to say, was extremely busy. Yet I never felt that they were hassled, or put out by my father’s calling. My parent’s willingness to serve in any calling, has stuck with me. I remember many morning scripture studies where droopy eyes and sagging mouths greeted my parents, rather than attentive children and happy auras. But I remember that we had them, and I know that they were a strength to me and my siblings as well as my parents.

One of the things Christ asked the Nephite parents to do is found in 3 Nephi 22:13: “All thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” And so, following their own experiences with the Savior, these Nephite parents taught their children about Him. They taught them to love the Lord. They taught them His gospel. They taught them how to live it. They taught them so well that there was righteousness and peace in the land for 200 years.

Phase 5: Graduation

This isn’t your typical graduation with balloons, streamers and that robe you’ll never wear again. This is more a recognition of what your children will face. You have prepared them with everything you could, and now it’s time to see if your little pigeons will fly. This is definitely that hardest of all the phases, and will no doubt fill you with a sense of dread and foreboding. The bright side in this phase is that the training never really stops. As your children are presented with new and trying circumstances, you can continually upgrade their armor and weapons. As they grow, their knowledge and adaptability will too. You never have to stop preparing them. As chinks and dents fill their armor, prayer and scripture will fill the weaknesses. When the armor gets heavy, your example and the Savior’s can lift them up. I’d like to leave you with the words of a Primary Song.

Teach me to walk in the light of his love;
Teach me to pray to my Father above;
Teach me to know of the things that are right;
Teach me, teach me to walk in the light.

I know that as we strive to teach our children, the spirit of the Lord will help us in whatever we need. My favorite scripture is Hebrews 13: 5 “For he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Make sure that your children know that too. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.