For Family Home Evening I sat down and thought about what I really want my children to learn before I send them out into the lone and dreary world. If I had to limit what I could teach them, what would I limit it to? What would help them be the most successful in this life and most ensure their success in the next? I came up with five areas that I feel are the most important things I want my children to learn. I gave them each a copy while I went over it and I'm going to put it up on the fridge next to our Casperson Family Values. I've been thinking so much about my children lately and how well I am doing in my stewardship over them. I think I have room for improvement, but I also feel a confidence that as long as I rely on the Lord and partner with Him in raising these children, all will work out in the end. There was a great line in a book on tape I have been listening to that said, "They were His before they were yours." If I could always remember that I think I could always make the right decisions regarding them.
The Five Things I Want You To Learn To Be
Successful In Earth Life
1. I want you to have a testimony that you really are a child of God and that he loves you. There is no knowledge more important than that.
I want you to have a testimony of the joy found in learning and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I want you to have a testimony of the restored church.
2. I want you to always remember Matthew 22: 36-40
“Master, which is the great commandment of the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Everything the prophets teach, and every commandment given comes back to these two things. Life is truly about how well you love the Lord, and how well you love His children. Give service, be kind, be tolerant, be accepting, be forgiving, show sympathy.
3. Develop an appreciation for and a loyalty to your family. Look to generations past and follow their example. Realize that future generations will look to you and your example. Families really ARE Forever. Your family is the one constant in this world. Friends, employers, jobs, employees, hobbies, entertainment, leaders, neighbors, etc. come and go. You will always have your family. Heavenly Father put each and every one of us together for a purpose. Our family is not a family by chance. Every one of us has something special to teach all the members of the family. We all need to see what we need to learn from each other. And we all need to treat each other with love and respect at all times.
4. There are few things in life that will make you more successful than a positive attitude. There is power in thinking, speaking, and behaving positively. Develop an attitude of gratitude, happiness, enthusiasm, and joy. It will take you far in all your relationships and all areas of life.
5. Learn to work hard and love it! There are so many little maxims about work; Don’t Put Off Until Tomorrow What You Can Do Today, A Job Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Well. Take pride in every job you do. Everyone does some type of work every day, be it providing for a family, maintaining a home, raising children, going to school, or doing chores. Accept that life is in large part about work, and develop a positive attitude towards it, do your work to the best of your ability, and make it fun!