Lesson: Our Duty to God: The Mission of Parents and Leaders to the Rising Generation

Sunday Lesson, Teachings for Our Time 

Taught by Jill Fairchild

Elder Hales

It is our imperative duty to help youth understand and believe the gospel in a deeply personal way.

For all of us, doing our duty to God as parents and leaders begins with leading by example—consistently and diligently living gospel principles at home. This takes daily determination and diligence.

For youth, there is no substitute for seeing the gospel lived in our daily lives. The stripling warriors did not have to wonder what their parents believed. They said, “We do not doubt our mothers knew it” (see Alma 56:47–48).

Do our children know what we know?

Besides showing youth the way by example, we lead them by understanding their hearts and walking alongside them on the gospel path. To truly understand their hearts, we must do more than just be in the same room or attend the same family and Church activities. We must plan and take advantage of teaching moments that make a deep and lasting impression upon their minds and hearts.

Mother, Father, are you in there? Grandpa, Grandma, are you there?

Fathers, mothers, and leaders of youth, we urge you to participate in Personal Progress and Duty to God with your children and with the youth. Not only will they grow; you will grow too. And just as importantly, you will grow together in a bond of faith and friendship that will allow you to strengthen each other and stay on the gospel path forever, to indeed be an eternal family.

It is our imperative duty to help youth understand and believe the gospel in a deeply personal way. We can teach them to walk in the light, but that light cannot be borrowed. They must earn it for themselves. They must obtain their own light of testimony directly from the source of spiritual light—God Himself—through prayer and study and pondering. They must understand who they are and who Heavenly Father wants them to become. 

How do we help them?

The greatest missionary work we will ever do will be in our homes.
The greatest family history work that we will do will be within our own homes.
The greatest rescue, the greatest activation will be in our homes.
The greatest faith we have will be within our homes as we remain strong in the trials and tribulations of parenthood.
The greatest love and the greatest teachings should be in our homes.

On this Easter Sunday I would hope that we would have the opportunity of bearing our testimonies that we know that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ. I would hope that we would bear our testimonies so that our children will know where our hearts are and that we love them.

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