Help Her Build Faith in Jesus Christ

In his most recent talk in general conference, President Nelson shared a picture of his new great-granddaughter and said this: “Recently I met a new great-granddaughter. When I contemplate the challenges she will experience in her life, I feel a great desire to help her build faith in Jesus Christ. Living His gospel is essential for her future happiness. She, like each of us, will face challenges. We all will experience illness, disappointment, temptation, and loss. These challenges can knock our self-confidence. However, disciples of Jesus Christ have access to a different kind of confidence.” His comment was a reminder to me that in all I do for and teach my children, if I do not help them develop faith in Jesus Christ then I am falling short as a parent. President Nelson did not say “if she experiences challenges” but confirmed that she and the rest of us will face great difficulties in our lives, and surely those will increase the nearer we get to the Second Coming of the Savior. We all need to have greater faith in the Savior and His gospel so that we can stay strong to Him no matter what the days ahead bring.

                I believe that part of helping my children develop faith in the Savior is to let them experience hard things without intervening unnecessarily. A couple of days ago we went to a pool and my nine-year-old wanted to practice her swimming in the deep end. She is not a strong swimmer yet, but she jumped in and started crossing the pool in water far deeper than she could touch. She was struggling but I just stood there watching and encouraged her while she slowly made her way in a not too graceful way. I looked up at the life guard who had a concerned look on her face and was sitting on the edge of her seat watching my daughter. But neither of us helped her, and she made it. It was a small victory but one that surely built her confidence in her own ability to swim. I believe that is an allegory for parenting in general—it is much better for them to struggle and succeed than for us to intervene too early and do for them what they can learn to do for themselves. And as they work through difficulties we can encourage and point them to the help and strength that the Savior offers. If we always save them, they may never learn that it is really the Savior who can save them during their most pressing challenges in life (the ones that we won’t be able to help them with).

            Isaiah gave us this advice for how to help those who are struggling: “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:3-4). He didn’t say to solve the problems of the weak; rather, He said to strengthen the weak so they can then work through their problems. And we should also turn them to the Savior telling them that God will come and save them. The Lord was perhaps paraphrasing this passage when He said in our dispensation: “In thy ministry in proclaiming the gospel in the land of the living, and among thy brethren. And in doing these things thou wilt do the greatest good unto thy fellow beings, and wilt promote the glory of him who is your Lord. Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (Doctrine and Covenants 81:3-5). As we proclaim the gospel and strengthen the weak, lifting them up (to the Savior), we will be doing the “greatest good” to our fellow beings. As we help others to develop faith in Jesus Christ, they will have the strength to overcome all of life’s challenges with Him. We must help ourselves and others truly believe these words of Paul: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).