I Had Often Heard My Father Speak

Recently my ten-year-old said to me, as we were trying to do something together as a family for home evening on a Monday night, “Dad, family home evening is not a thing anymore. No one does it.” We have certainly been less diligent at holding it ourselves than we were in the earlier years of our marriage (when kids were less numerous and less busy), but we do try sometimes. It certainly is not a topic that is mentioned often in general conference of late, and in a quick search I only found three references to it in the past decade. I checked the handbook to see if it is even mentioned. It certainly is: “Latter-day prophets have counseled Church members to hold a weekly home evening. This is a sacred time for individuals and families to learn the gospel, strengthen testimonies, build unity, and enjoy one another.” It also says that Mondays are reserved for families: “Members are encouraged to hold family activities on Monday or at other times. No Church activities, meetings, or baptismal services should be held after 6:00 p.m. on Mondays. Leaders ensure that Church buildings and other facilities are closed on Monday nights.” (I found that to indeed be in force when I was unable to get into the building with my key on a Monday night.) While the leaders of the Church may not speak of the mechanics of doing structured family activities and lessons on Monday nights, surely the important responsibility of teaching children the gospel has not gone away or been diminished. Whether we do it on Monday night or at other times, parents are still just as responsible to teach children the gospel of Jesus Christ. And how needed it is in our world today!    

Indeed, in the most recent general conference, President Eyring spoke about teaching the doctrine of Jesus Christ to those we love. He said, “Teaching simply allows us to share the saving doctrine early on, while children remain untouched by the deceiver’s temptations that will later confront them, long before the truths they need to learn are drowned out by the noise of social media, peers, and their own personal struggles. We should seize every opportunity to share the teachings of Jesus Christ with children. These teaching moments are precious and far fewer compared to the relentless efforts of opposing forces. For every hour spent instilling doctrine into a child’s life, there are countless hours of opposition filled with messages and images that challenge or ignore those saving truths.” That is a sobering statement for parents, knowing that our children will be inundated with messages from the world that they must sift through and evaluate. Whether it is on Monday in a structured lesson or on less formal occasions, our children need all the teaching we can give them of the gospel of Jesus Christ. President Eyring continued, “Some of you may wonder whether it might be better to draw your children closer to you through having fun, or you may ask whether the child may start to feel overwhelmed by your teachings. Instead, we should consider, ‘With so little time and so few opportunities, what words of doctrine can I share that will strengthen them against the inevitable challenges to their faith?’ The words you share today could be the ones they carry with them, and today will soon pass.” Of course, it is important that we find ways to connect with our children and have fun with them, but President Erying is suggesting that even more important is our responsibility to help them understand the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thinking of these words, I was struck this morning by the description of Enos about what his father had taught him. He wrote, “Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it—And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins. Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart” (Enos 1:1-3). Jacob taught Enos language in order to read the scriptures and he also helped his son feel both nurtured and warned from the word of God. But perhaps what was most important was that he “often” spoke concerning “eternal life, and the joy of the saints.” I think Enos was saying that Jacob was joyful and connected that happiness with the gospel of Jesus Christ as he repeatedly taught his son. So when Enos was at a low point, looking for direction and a remission of his sins, he remembered that his father had showed him where joy was to be found. Our children need to see that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings us joy, and even if they don’t fully embrace what we try to share with them today, we can teach so that they will always know that the gospel brought joy to their parents. And then, when challenges come as they inevitably will, we can have confidence that the Spirit will bring to their remembrance our teachings as it happened for Enos. President Eyring summarized while speaking of those like Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah in the scriptures: “In their moments of crisis, they remembered the words of their parents, words of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Remembering saved them. Your teaching of that sacred doctrine will be remembered.”