Parents: Teach Your Children in the Nurture of the Lord

“My father... taught me... in the nurture and admonition of the Lord — and blessed be the name of my God for it — 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. And my soul hungered and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul... And there came a voice unto me, saying: thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. And I knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. And I said: Lord, how is it done? And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ.” Book of Mormon, Enos 1:1-8

I love these words and this story in the Book of Mormon. It gives hope to all of us, for we are all sinners and in need to repentance, but I read it this time thinking about the hope these words can give to parents whose children have strayed from the path. As parents we hope and pray that the words of eternal life will sink deep into the hearts of our children. We often struggle with how to teach our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Here are a few ideas:

“Provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained [except] by virtue... by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile. Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy... Let thy bowels also be full of charity (the pure love of Christ)... and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God... The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion... without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.” Doctrine & Covenants 121:41-46

“And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith. Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God; That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord; that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord; that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands unto the Most High. Therefore, cease from all your light speeches, from all laughter, from all your lustful desires, from all your pride and light-mindedness, and from all your wicked doings. See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires. Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated. And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace. always, that ye may not faint, until I come...” Doctrine & Covenants 88:118-126

— ADD to this prescription a daily dose of diligence, persistence, humility, supplication, and repentance — And Pray Continually to you come of conqueror. (D&C 10:5)

— AND remember that discouragement comes of the devil and when those feelings come, and they will, know that the source is not your loving Father in Heaven! He desires to bless you and comfort you. Lean upon His Spirit who is the comforter and never, never, never give up!