Always In Remembrance

I like the words that Peter used as he described his teaching the gospel to the Church.  He said, “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.  Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance” (2 Peter 1:12-13).  Peter understood his great responsibility to teach the gospel to the members of the Church.  He knew that his duty was not just to teach the principles of the gospel once, but that he would repeat them again and again, putting the people “always in remembrance” of the things of God.  This reminds me of Jacob’s words about his own responsibilities as a religious leader: “And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments” (Jacob 1:19).  Jacob and Peter knew and took seriously their role as teachers of the people. 

                I believe that Peter’s words can be a motivation for us as we teach our own children.  Instead of having the attitude that we need to teach our children a specific gospel principle only once or twice, we should consider it our duty and role to speak again and again about the same spiritual matters.  We don’t teach until the first sign of understanding, but we want to teach the same principles of the gospel again and again to our children, hoping that they will gain true understanding and ultimately a testimony of these things.  I think it’s instructive to look at what exactly Peter was referring to as well when he wrote to the Saints that he would continue putting them in remembrance.  He wrote in the preceding verses to what I quoted above, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Peter 1:4-7).  These are the famous attributes of the “divine nature” that help us to see how to become like the Savior, and surely these are things that we need to continually help our children understand and strive to develop.  It takes repeated teaching of these principles to help them “escape the corruption that is in the world” and develop these divine attributes.  We have to help them see the value of faith and virtue and patience and godliness and charity, and aid them to have desire to develop those traits in their own lives.  Like Peter as parents we should have the attitude that “as long as [we are] in this tabernacle” we will “stir [them] up by putting [them] in remembrance.”  And we can’t lose hope when it seems that this kind of teaching and stirring up in remembrance falls on deaf ears—if we “magnify our office” to teach these things to our children, we never know when, like for Jacob’s son, the words will “[sink deep] into [their] heart” and cause them to come with great desire before the Lord (Enos 1:3).