The Mark

After writing about their knowledge of the Savior and His atonement, Jacob described how the Spirit “speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls.” Despite the fact that the coming of Christ was yet in the future, Jacob and his people had learned “plainly” about Him and the true meaning of the law of Moses, it pointing to the Savior. Jacob then described those Jews who had so complicated the law that they missed the plain truths about the Savior: “But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them” (Jacob 4:13-14). And what is the “mark” we should look for? I believe it is the Savior Himself—that is what the Jewish leaders in the meridian of time looked beyond and could not see, and it is what we sometimes similarly look past in our day as we seek elsewhere for solutions. Perhaps the message for us is that whatever challenges we face, whatever our difficulties, the most important way forward is to look to the mark, even the Savior and His atoning sacrifice. This is what Elder Cook said: “If we elevate anything above our devotion to the Savior, if our conduct recognizes Him as just another teacher and not the divine Son of God, then we are looking beyond the mark. Jesus Christ is the mark!”

                As I struggle with challenges in our home related to the behaviors of our children, perhaps I too look beyond the simple mark of Jesus Christ. It is easy to seek for complicated solutions to problems which in reality stem from a plain problem: a lack of faith in Jesus Christ. President Eyring taught this as he discussed ways we might try to improve behaviors: “You could have limited success by calling a child to repent, for instance, of pride. You might try persuading children to share what they have more generously. You could ask them to stop feeling they are better than someone else in the family. But then you come to the symptom I described earlier as ‘They began to diminish in their faith in Jesus Christ.’ There is the key to leading your family to rise to that spiritual place you want for them—and for you to be there with them. As you help them grow in faith that Jesus Christ is their loving Redeemer, they will feel a desire to repent. As they do, humility will begin to replace pride. As they begin to feel what the Lord has given them, they will want to share more generously. Rivalry for prominence or recognition will diminish. Hate will be driven out by love…. So building faith in Jesus Christ is the beginning of reversing spiritual decline in your family and in your home.” We need to speak openly of the Savior and seek in a straightforward way to help our children develop faith in Him and a desire to follow Him. Perhaps this was what Nephi was teaching us when he wrote his own efforts: “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” If our children hear nothing else from us, they should hear us plainly talk of Christ and our love for Him. They should hear us teach of Him and testify of Him, sing of Him and seek understanding in difficult situations because of Him. Whatever the trials we face, we should remember and show our children the best way through them as taught by Nephi: “And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul” (2 Nephi 25:26, 29).