During conference this weekend I had an ah-ha moment. Dale G. Renlund, who opened the Sunday morning session, spoke about receiving blessings. He mentioned from the Bible dictionary that “The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but are made conditional on our asking for them.” He went on to talk about the Israelites being bitten by fiery serpents and the only way to be healed was to look upon the staff with the serpent on it.
My mind from here took a turn all on its own. I began to think about repentance and how maybe the above quote on prayer was also true for repentance. God wants to forgive us, but our forgiveness is made conditional upon our asking for it. I then thought about how easy it was for the Israelites to look at the pole and be healed and how equally easy it is to ask for forgiveness and yet I don’t even think to to do so. Our dear Prophet had talked about the importance of daily repentance, so I decided then and there that I was going to figuratively “look” at that staff every night.
I then thought about how sad it is that it has taken me 33 years to realize how important daily repentance is. I decided to teach my children right now while they are young.
We sat them down between conference sessions for a council meeting and discussed different things we had learned from that morning session. I told them about my ah-ha moment, but most of that went over my young kids heads. So I tried a different approach. I told them that when I knelt down with each one individually at night for their night time prayer, that I would like them to pray for three different categories: first gratitude, second repentance, third the things they want or need.
It was a beautiful experience for my children and me that night. Before they began their prayer, we talked about anything they might have done that day that was not pleasing to the Lord. Things like “made my sister cry” was the ordinary answer. Then they began their prayer. It was the first time EVER that I had heard them ask their Father in Heaven to forgive them. It was a deeply touching moment for me. Now, I know that only one of them is 8 and has been baptized and is therefore actually accountable, but I am sure that they won’t let me kneel down beside them forever. So while they are young and impressionable, I want to take the time to teach them habits that hopefully will stick with them as they get older and actually need them.
-Debbie
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