“Lesson 22 Class Preparation Material: Rearing Children in Righteousness,” The Eternal Family Teacher Material (2022)
“Lesson 22 Class Preparation Material,” The Eternal Family Teacher Material
Lesson 22 Class Preparation Material
Rearing Children in Righteousness
Raising children to be spiritually strong in today’s world can feel overwhelming. However, a promise the Savior gave to the Nephites applies to us in our day: “All thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children” (3 Nephi 22:13). As you study this lesson, consider how you can fulfill your “sacred duty to rear [your] children in … righteousness” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Section 1
What does the Lord expect of me as a parent?
Early in this dispensation, Jesus Christ taught parents about their responsibility to raise their children in righteousness. He declared, “I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:40). The Savior then admonished the Prophet Joseph Smith and other Church leaders to set their homes in order and to be “more diligent and concerned at home” (verse 50; see verses 41–50).
Latter-day prophets likewise express the need for parents to be intentional in their efforts to teach the gospel in their homes. They have also emphasized that gospel learning is to be “home centered and Church supported” (David A. Bednar, “Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 101; see also pages 102–4).
While serving in the Sunday School General Presidency, President Tad R. Callister taught:
As parents, we are to be the prime gospel teachers and examples for our children—not the bishop, the Sunday School, the Young Women or Young Men, but the parents. As their prime gospel teachers, we can teach them the power and reality of the Atonement—of their identity and divine destiny—and in so doing give them a rock foundation upon which to build. When all is said and done, the home is the ideal forum for teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. (“Parents: The Prime Gospel Teachers of Their Children,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 32–33)
Study in Preparation for Class
Read Doctrine and Covenants 68:25, 28, and consider marking truths that parents are accountable to help their children understand.
After referencing these verses, Sister Cheryl A. Esplin, former counselor in the Primary General Presidency, commented:
Teaching our children to understand is more than just imparting information. It’s helping our children get the doctrine into their hearts in a way that it becomes part of their very being and is reflected in their attitudes and behavior throughout their lives. (“Teaching Our Children to Understand,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 10)
While serving in the Primary General Presidency, President Joy D. Jones taught:
We cannot wait for conversion to simply happen to our children. Accidental conversion is not a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Becoming like our Savior will not happen randomly. Being intentional in loving, teaching, and testifying can help children begin at a young age to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is essential to our children’s testimony of and conversion to Jesus Christ; we desire them to “always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them” [Doctrine and Covenants 20:79]. (“Essential Conversations,” Liahona, May 2021, 12–13)
Ponder in Preparation for Class
How can parents help their children “get the doctrine into their hearts in a way that it becomes part of their very being”? How can parents help their children feel and learn from the Holy Ghost?
Section 2
What practices can help me lead my children to the Savior?
Nephi and his people actively sought to help their children learn of the Savior.
Study in Preparation for Class
Read 2 Nephi 25:26, and think about how parents in our day could follow the example of these Nephites.
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave counsel to guide parents in helping their children learn of and from the Savior:
Are there images of the Savior in our homes? Do we talk often to our children about the parables of Jesus? “The stories of Jesus [are] like a rushing wind across the embers of faith in the hearts of our children” [Neil L. Andersen, “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 108]. When your children ask you questions, consciously think about teaching what the Savior taught. For example, if your child asks, “Daddy, why do we pray?” You might respond, “That’s a great question. Do you remember when Jesus prayed? Let’s talk about why He prayed and how He prayed.” (“We Talk of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 89)
The counsel the prophet Moses gave to Israelite parents can apply to us: “Thou shalt teach [the commandments] diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:7).
President Jones reflected the spirit of Moses’s counsel when she taught:
[One] key to helping children become sin-resistant is to begin at very early ages to lovingly infuse them with basic gospel doctrines and principles—from the scriptures, the Articles of Faith, the For the Strength of Youth booklet, Primary songs, hymns, and our own personal testimonies—that will lead children to the Savior.
Creating consistent habits of prayer, scripture study, family home evening, and Sabbath worship leads to wholeness, internal consistency, and strong moral values—in other words, spiritual integrity. …
Brothers and sisters, hold your little ones close—so close that they see your daily religious behavior and watch you keeping your promises and covenants. “Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate” [anonymous]. (“A Sin-Resistant Generation,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 88–89)
Record Your Thoughts
Take a few minutes to record righteous behaviors or habits you can begin or continue developing now that will increase your ability to raise your children in righteousness. What spiritual practices do you want to establish with your family in the future?
Section 3
What can I do if a family member strays from the gospel path?
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
One of the greatest heartaches a valiant parent in Zion can suffer is a child who strays from the gospel path. Questions of “Why?” or “What did I do wrong?” and “How can this child now be helped?” are pondered without ceasing in the minds and hearts of such parents. (“Faithful Parents and Wayward Children: Sustaining Hope While Overcoming Misunderstanding,” Ensign, Mar. 2014, 28)
Lehi and Sariah understood the heartache that comes when children stray from the gospel path.
Study in Preparation for Class
Read 1 Nephi 8:37–38, looking for how Lehi tried to help Laman and Lemuel after he saw in vision their rejection of the Lord.
Notice how tenderly Lehi preached to, or taught, his children. Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about ways we can respond if a family member strays from the gospel path:
It is hard to understand all the reasons why some people take another path. The best we can do in these circumstances is just to love and embrace them, pray for their well-being, and seek for the Lord’s help to know what to do and say. Sincerely rejoice with them in their successes; be their friends and look for the good in them. We should never give up on them but preserve our relationships. Never reject or misjudge them. Just love them! The parable of the prodigal son teaches us that when children come to themselves, they often desire to come home. If that happens with your dear ones, fill your hearts with compassion, run to them, fall on their neck, and kiss them, like the father of the prodigal son did [see Luke 15:20].
Ultimately, keep living a worthy life, be a good example to them of what you believe, and draw closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ. He knows and understands our deep sorrows and pains, and He will bless your efforts and dedication to your dear ones if not in this life, in the next life. (“How Can I Understand?,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 8)
Ponder in Preparation for Class
What are other examples from the scriptures of righteous parents whose child or children strayed from the gospel path? (Consider, for example, Lehi and his sons Laman and Lemuel or Alma and his son Alma the Younger.) What can you learn from these parents’ responses that can guide you in responding to family members who may stray?