Today in Sunday School we talked about how to raise righteous children and this was based on the lesson about the judges in the Book of Judges of the Old Testament. And I was thinking about Samson about how in reality his life was very sad and tragic. He could have been the greatest leader that Israel had ever had. But instead he chased after harlots and sexual sin. Then from the lesson I was reminded how his birth was miraculous. An angel told his mom about his birth and that he was to be raised a Nazarite. (The bible dictionary describes a Nazarite as a consecrated man.) And I am sure his parents did everything they could to raise him that way...but he chose not to follow. They tried to convince him not to marry outside of the faith but he would not listen. His story is one of pure selfishness and grief for all involved.
Like I am sure all parents do, I was worrying about how I
can raise good kids and teach my children to love the Lord and to follow Him.
And I came across this quote from Elder M. Russell Ballard.
"Be of good cheer. God did not put you on earth to fail, and your efforts as parents will not be counted as failure--unless you give up."
It occurred to me that every person born on this earth--with no exceptions--had imperfect parents. All of us are learning and growing while we struggle to raise our kids. The real secret to being a successful parent is just doing like Elder Ballard says, and never give up! Ever!
To be successful, we need to lean and trust in the One perfect
Being. The Savior will teach us and tell
us how to raise our children.
I just need to lean on the Lord and trust in Him. I need to
love my kids with all my heart and help them know their Savior. My kids are
still very young. They cannot read the Scriptures. The only way they get to
feel the Spirit in their daily lives is if I invite the Spirit to come into my
home is by reading the scriptures with my family, praying with them, and
actually teaching them the gospel.
