I Found My Answer

My husband and I have lived in cities in both the eastern and western United States. The great problems of these cities have always troubled me, but when my five children were under age 13, I felt I could not be actively involved in helping the communities where we lived deal with their problems. Still, I was constantly chafed with anxiety.

One night the news seemed to especially prick my conscience. As I watched and listened, I felt guilty for having chosen a quiet, peaceful life and for being able to enjoy it. Was there more I should do? I asked myself. Should I throw myself more fully into community service, possibly neglecting my children?

At the same time these thoughts and feelings were troubling me, I was reading the Book of Mormon. The answer to my dilemma came one day as I read in the fourth chapter of Mosiah, in which King Benjamin instructs the Nephites to care for their children. It was here that I found the peace I so needed as a mother and as a member of a society plagued with ills crying to be corrected.

Particularly as I studied verses 14, 15, and 16, I realized that part of my contribution to society would be well-prepared children. While not neglecting those who might have needed my help, during those few years while my children were young, my main responsibility was training, teaching, and preparing them to be loving, responsible adults.

These verses form a beautiful pattern for life. They assure me that there is a time for all things. I am to “teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness … and to love one another.”

How reassuring it is to know that I can fulfill my responsibilities to my family without thinking I am shirking others. My time for serving can come after raising my family. In the Lord’s plan, there is indeed a time for every purpose under heaven.