Zach McClure

We often keep things of value in special places: important documents kept in a secured file or safe, dinner china in a display cabinet, or treats too good to share with kids up on the top shelf. These things are kept safe and out of easy reach for good reasons, but there are other things of value we need to make sure are always available to us. Our scriptures are one of these things.

We all make mistakes as parents. Sometimes our attention is wrongly distracted from a child’s needs, or perhaps we raised our voice in anger when we should have been calm. Do we seek forgiveness from both the Lord and our children when we do these things? Do we sincerely forgive our children when they err? As the Savior Jesus Christ plainly explains in Doctrine and Covenants 64, forgiveness is a crucial component of achieving peace in the home.

It’s easy to wish the Lord would show us everything we need to do to be happy and successful. However, that’s not His way. Instead, we are to act under His guidance and do the things we feel would bring to pass righteousness. As He tells the saints in Doctrine and Covenants 62, do that “as seemeth you good, it mattereth not unto me; only be faithful.”

We all want to arrive at our own “promised land” or “Zion” sooner rather than later. However, we cannot forget that the process of getting there is just as important as the destination itself. As we follow Jesus Christ and keep His commandments, we are changed to become more like the Savior. The trials that accompany this period of growth are essential the eternal reward of being with our families forever, for “after much tribulation come the blessings (DC 58:4).”