This semester I am taking a religion class entitled, "The Eternal Family". While there have been frustrating things about the class organizationally, the content of the class has been amazing. I thought I understood the importance of an eternal family in our Heavenly Father's plan, but I have realized that I've really never grasped it fully. I'm sure, in an eternal perspective, my mind has only scratched the surface.
One thing that has constantly been on my mind throughout the past twelve weeks, is why were we not taught more about these important truths as youth? I wonder if the family would have been emphasized more or if it would've been taught in a different way if it would have made a difference in my understanding and some of my choices.
The Family Proclamation was first presented the beginning of my senior year in high school. It is truly a document for our day. I'm sure it meant a lot then and was needed, but the proclamation made clear who we are and what we stand for when it comes to the family. I am grateful to have it to be able to teach my boys the eternal truths contained within.
Something that has been on my mind so much lately is modesty. I remember the first time I saw modesty differently...I saw it as a mother of boys. They were very young boys at the time, and they still are, but the comment one of my boys made brought the startling realization that very soon the way girls dressed would very much affect them. I have thought about this so much throughout the course of this class. If youth truly understood the importance of families. . . of their own future, eternal family. . . would they dress differently or encourage the opposite sex to dress differently? I don't know the answer. I try and put myself back in my 16 year old mind. Would I have dressed differently if I really understood? I don't know the answer to that. I would hope so, though! There is so much on the line, and I feel an incredible urgency for my boys to understand that. I want all the girls that my boys will associate with to understand it!
Julie B. Beck gave a talk entitled, "Teaching the Doctrine of the Family". It is full of wonderful information about teaching these important truths to our youth. I want to document a couple of paragraphs from her talk.
"As I've met with young single adults around the world, I ask these questions: Why does the First Presidency care so much about the youth of the Church, and why do they invest so much? In their focus groups and their firesides, these are the answers I get, and you should be interested in these answers. You might ask your own students these questions. They say: "Well, we are the future Church leaders." "Education is the key to success." "We need training so we can stay strong." "Our testimonies are strengthened in our classes." "We need to meet other great Latter-day Saint youth." "We are the hope of the future." One said, "We appreciate it." Another one said, "Well, they spend so much money on us because we're worth it."
"I was very interest in those answers. You have to know that after pushing hard and receiving response after response, I have rarely heard, "So I will someday be a better father, or a better mother, or a better family leader." Family is rarely on their minds. Their responses are generally about self, and of course we know this is the time of life they're in. They're living in a very self-interested time of life, but they aren't thinking about the family."
This is interesting to me, and really has made me aware of a problem. It's a problem that I feel I had and didn't even know, and it's a problem that I want to find a solution for it. Although all youth go through a time of "me, me, me", I feel there must be a way to teach them that even though it seems like "me, me, me" now, they are part of an important and eternal "we, we, we", all the way home. . . LOL!! To an eternal home that is, and every choice, especially those choices in their youth will be part of and shape their eternity.
Modesty is only one issue that could be discussed with this topic, but it is an example of something that a young woman doesn't think too much of. She easily justifies herself and asks, is it really that big of a deal? There was a time when I would have answered no to that question, but Yes! It is a big deal. Because one day you will be a mother. You will have children and you will want to teach them to do what God asks because they love Him and want to please Him. It is a big deal because an innocent thing like wearing a skirt that shows a little more of your sexy legs than is appropriate can put your future, eternal family in danger. That family is your key to pure joy and your only way to exaltation.
Sister Beck said, "This generation will be called upon to defend the doctrine of the family as never before in the history of the world. If they don't know it, they can't defend it." I have only a tiny sphere of influence in this world. There are only three little people I directly influence each day, and sometimes I wonder if anything is even sinking in. But one thing I know, I will teach those three little people how important our eternal family is, and how important their future, eternal families are. I want them to know that one day they will be fathers, and it will be the hardest and the greatest thing they will ever do! I will teach them that everything they are learning and becoming is going to make a difference in their future, eternal family and every single little choice they make in the coming years will make that family stronger or weaker. As parents we always want our kids to be better than we were. I am truly grateful for the things I am learning and tools like the Family Proclamation so that I can make that hope become a reality.
No comments:
Post a Comment