Five Smooth Stones

In the account of David and Goliath, we read this about what David did: “And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.” When Goliath came towards David, “David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth” (1 Samuel 17:40, 49). David had prepared five stones to go against Goliath, and Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus in the most recent general conference used this to speak of five “stones” the youth should have to help them remain faithful to the end in this “world of sin.” All five are really about our relationship with God and the Savior:   

 The stone of my love for God.

The stone of my faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The stone of the knowledge of my true identity.

The stone of my daily repentance.

The stone of my access to God’s power.

We remain faithful not because of intellectual knowledge but because of our love for our Father in Heaven. We receive help from heaven to remain true because we trust the Savior’s ability to help us. We are motivated to stay on the covenant path because we understand our true identity as a son or daughter of God. We fix our relationship with Him through repentance when we sin and make mistakes. And we gain power through our covenants with Him to help us endure to the end. All of these highlight the need not for perfect obedience to rules but a real relationship of love and commitment between us and the Lord.

                Sister Spannaus quoted this from the For the Strength of Youth guide about repentance: “Repentance isn’t punishment for sin; it is the way the Savior frees us from sin. To repent means to change―to turn away from sin and toward God. It means to improve and receive forgiveness. This kind of change is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing process.” This idea that repentance is not punishment is consistent with this teaching from Alma to Corianton: “But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God” (Alma 42:22). Mercy is given to those who repent so that the punishment of the law does not come upon us. But those who refuse to repent must eventually face the full punishment that the law requires. I think this is perhaps how we should approach our discipline as parents. Children who break rules do not necessarily need to be punished “to the full extent of the law” as we might say in a courtroom. Our goal should be to offer them mercy on conditions of repentance. If they confess and forsake the bad actions, then they do not need our strictest consequences but rather our forgiveness and love and encouragement. Then the relationship can be strengthened without causing resentment and further hard feelings.

                Elder Uchtdorf said this about the house built upon the rock as taught by the Savior: “A house doesn’t survive in a storm because the house is strong. It also doesn’t survive just because the rock is strong. The house survives the storm because it is firmly attached to that strong rock. It’s the strength of the connection to the rock that matters.” Sister Spannaus commented, “Our personal connection to Jesus Christ will give us the courage and confidence to move forward.” As we focus on our relationship and connection with God through these five stones, we will have the strength to remain faithful to the end.