Prepare Youth to Meet Opposition in the World

Prayerfully select and read from this message the scriptures and teachings that meet the needs of the sisters you visit. Share your experiences and testimony. Invite those you teach to do the same.

What tools can help parents and leaders prepare youth?

President Gordon B. Hinckley: “My heart reaches out to our youth. … I hope they can share their burden with you, their fathers and mothers. I hope that you will listen, that you will be patient and understanding, that you will draw them to you and comfort and sustain them in their loneliness. Pray for direction. Pray for patience. Pray for the strength to love even though the offense may have been serious. Pray for understanding and kindness and, above all, for wisdom and inspiration” (“‘Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children,’” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 51).

President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982), First Counselor in the First Presidency: “Parents must themselves read and then encourage their children to read and study the scriptures and seek for the right answers in the right places. Youth must be fortified in the home in order to meet the challenges and opposition they will face” (“Right Answers,” Ensign, Oct. 1973, 6).

Gayle M. Clegg, second counselor in the Primary general presidency: “Whatever your mother tongue, learn to teach and speak in the language of heartfelt prayers and joyful testimony so that angels, earthly and heavenly, can encircle and minister to us. We need gospel mentors who speak the language of praise and friendship. … We should smile upon [children] and wrap them in the blanket of our affection throughout the great journey in the universal language of love” (“The Language of Love,” Ensign, May 2002, 69).

How can a testimony help youth take their gospel knowledge from principle to practice?

Moroni 7:33: “If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.”

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “To gain unshakable faith in Jesus Christ is to flood your life with brilliant light. You are no longer alone to struggle with challenges you know you cannot resolve or control yourself” (“Obtaining Help from the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1991, 86).

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “When I was a boy, I used to ride my bicycle home from basketball practice at night. I would connect a small pear-shaped generator to my bicycle tire. Then as I pedaled, the tire would turn a tiny rotor, which produced electricity and emitted a single, welcome beam of light. It was a simple but effective mechanism. But I had to pedal to make it work! …

“The generation of spiritual light comes from daily spiritual pedaling. It comes from praying, studying the scriptures, fasting, and serving—from living the gospel. …

“The covenant we make at baptism and renew as we partake of the sacrament—to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him, and keep His commandments—includes the promise that we will always have His Spirit, that we will always have that light to be with us” (“Out of Darkness into His Marvelous Light,” Ensign, May 2002, 71).

For additional information, see For the Strength of Youth (item no. 36550).

Illustration by Margie Seager-Olsen