D&C 68:25-35

68:25-29 - The Lord now turns the topic to of raising children, saying, “In as much as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine pf repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.” This is the purpose of my existence right now, to teach my children the gospel. I work tirelessly to read scriptures as a family every day, having morning and evening prayers, or really it’s more like before they go to school and before I go to work prayers, and to have Family Home Evening, or as we call it Family Home Daytime, because I work on Monday nights, so we have to do it on Tuesday afternoons, because that’s when we have time. I try so hard and put so much effort into trying to teach them the gospel and apply it to their lives. The IM says, “Elder Harold B. Lee pointed out that the Lord ‘gave us what we might style as a five-point program by which parents could teach faith. First, he said, their children were to be baptized when they had reached the age of accountability at eight years; second, they were to be taught to pray; third, they were to be taught to walk uprightly before the Lord; fourth, they were to be taught to keep the Sabbath day holy; and fifth, they were to be schooled not to be idle, either in the Church, or in their private lives. All parents who have followed that formula and have so taught their children have reaped the reward of an increased faith in their family, which has stood and will yet stand the test of the difficulties into which their children would yet go.’ President N. Eldon Tanner noted: ‘Children who are taught obedience, to honor and obey the law, to have faith in God and to keep his commandments, will, as they grow up, honor their parents and be a credit to them; and the will be able to meet and solve their problems, find greater success and joy in life, and contribute greatly to the solution of the problems now causing the world such great concern. It is up to the parents to see to it that their children are prepared through obedience to law for the positions of leadership that will occupy in the future, where their responsibility will be to bring peace and righteousness to the world. Regarding rebellious children of righteous parents, President Spencer W. Kimball observed: ‘I have sometimes seen children of good families rebel, resist, stray, sin, and even actually fight God. In this they bring sorrow to their parents, who have done their best to set in movement a current and to teach and live as examples. But I have repeatedly seen many of these same children, after years of wandering, mellow, realize what they have been mission, repent, and make great contribution to the spiritual life of their community. The reason I believe this can take place is that, despite all the adverse winds to which these people have been subjected, they have been influenced still more, and much more than they realized, by the current of life in the homes to recreate in their own families the same atmosphere they enjoyed as children, they are likely to turn to the faith that gave meaning to their parents’ lives. There is no guarantee, of course, that righteous parents will succeed always in holding their children, and certainly they may lose them in they do not do all in their power. The children have their free agency. But if we as parents fail to influence our families and set them on the ‘strait and narrow way,’ then certainly the waves, the winds of temptation and evil will carry the posterity away from the path. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ What we do know is that righteous parents who strive to develop wholesome influences for their children will be held blameless at the last day, and that they will succeed in saving most of their children, if not all.’” The concept of the wayward child, whose fault it is, and what can be done about it, is complex and heartbreaking, but I think that it’s important to remember the eternal perspective. The Lord gives the command that “children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the lawing on of the hands. And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord. And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Seems like human nature is always the same because we struggle with the Sabbath day observance issue even now, it was a major theme of this last general conference.

68:30-31 - The Lord now brings up an interesting concept, that of work. It’s hard for me because I know that work is an eternal principle, and that it’s vital to helping us become more like the Savior, but there has to be a point where it is to excess. I’ve been feeling over worked for a while and had a little breakdown today because I didn’t get anything done and was pretty upset about it, but I ate dinner and now I feel better. And it’s not like I want to work this much, I feel like there isn’t a way out for me right now, like I’m stuck, and unless I pack up the kids and run away and live in my car and work like two days a week at Walmart, I’m close to doing that, really. The Lord says that there needs to be order and balance in all things and that would include work. The Lord says to hold the laborer and the idler in remembrance, “Now, I, the Lord, am now well pleased with the inhabitants of Zion, for there are idlers among them; and their children are also growing up in wickedness; they also seek not earnestly the riches of eternity, but their eyes are full of greediness.” The IM teaches, “A human weakness that draws sharp rebuke from the Lord is that of an idler who lives upon the labor of others. Government welfare programs that dole out money or good without requiring labor in return can help spread this problem. Elder David B. Haight taught: ‘What has this monstrous thing called government welfare done to the people? Today we have second-and third- generation welfare recipients. Millions have learned how to live off the government. Children are growing up without knowing the value and the dignity of work. The government has succeeded in going what the Church welfare program seeks to prevent… But Church members are not immune to the perils of the government dole. There is evidence that some of our people are receiving something for nothing from the government. The fact that this condition exists in the Church highlights the need of our members to be knowledgeable about church welfare principles. President Kimball has stated: ‘No true Latter-day Saint, while physically or emotionally able, will voluntarily shift the burden of his own of his family’s well-bring to someone else.’ The Lord’s welfare program emphasizes the principles of work and self-respect, requiring labor according to ability. ” Again, it’s not that I struggle with this concept, but I’ve seen many different aspects of this play out in people’s lives and it’s not always as straight forward and clear cut as it seems. Mental illness has plagued much of my views of how people should work and support their families. I’m a very hard worker and I’ve been working hard pretty much my whole life, and honestly, I’m exhausted from it.

68:32-35 – The Lord finishes by command Oliver Cowdery to take the manuscript of the Book of Commandments “unto the land of Zion,” and commands him “that he that observeth not his prayers before the Lord in the season thereof, let him be had in remembrance before the judge of my people.” I don’t understand this verse at all. The IM comments on “prayers in the season thereof” by quoting President Ezra Taft Benson as saying, “I counsel you, in the words of Jesus Christ, to ‘watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.’ If you will earnestly seek guidance form your Heavenly Father, morning and evening, you will be give the strength to shun any temptation. President Heber J. Grant gave this timeless promise to the youth of the Church: ‘I have little or no fear for the boy or the girl, the young man or the young woman, who honestly and conscientiously supplicates God twice a day for the guidance of His Spirit. I am sure that when temptation comes they will have the strength to overcome it by the inspiration that shall be given to them. Supplicating the Lord for the guidance of His Spirit places around us a safeguard, and if we earnestly and honestly seek the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord, I can assure you that we will receive it.’” This section is full of concepts that I struggle with, pray included. Why do I struggle with prayer? I don’t know, probably because I feel like I’m constantly “talking” to Heavenly Father or trying to get a feeling from the Spirit, so I feel like I’m communicating with him all day, so why kneel down and do it again? I also feel like, not that he doesn’t listen, but when I plead with him for the desires of my heart, I feel like the answer is always no, and that frustrates me, and I’ve always felt like that. I’ve always felt like, no matter what I ask for, he’s going to do whatever he wants anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. I feel like praying doesn’t really matter for me because it has no influence over whether or not I get what I’m asking for. That’s an interesting break through. I’m going to have to think about this for a while.