Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps

Some say that children should come with little instruction manuals tied to their wrist when their born. Something that would tell parents how to raise a particular child so that they become a happy, productive, well-adjusted adult in the end. Without costing us our sanity in the mean time.

Not me. I firmly believe that children should be born with a warning label tattooed on their cute little bums. Something like:

“Caution. They may look cute now, but watch out when they learn to use words like ‘no’ and ‘why’. Eventually they’ll embarrass you in public, keep you up all night, take advantage of your generosity, and take control of the car keys, the phone and the fridge. One moment they’ll break your heart, then the next it will burst with joy…”

I could go on and on, but that wouldn’t all fit would it? I guess “Caution” would be enough.

Parenthood is a tough road, but it’s also one of the greatest blessings Heavenly Father can give us. So what do we do with these little bundles of joy He’s placed in our care? What is our role as disciples of Christ when it comes to our children?

Fortunately, discipleship comes with a special knowledge: we are not left alone to raise our children. We have an instruction manual, a mentor, and a surveillance system all at our disposal if we choose to take advantage of them.

Read the instruction manual.

When we absorb ourselves daily in the scriptures, the words of God have a chance to imprint themselves on our hearts. His will, His instructions, can lead us through the most difficult paths. Even parenthood.

Sometimes the answers are directly given, like:

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

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“And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the devil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.
But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.” Mosiah 4:14-15

Sometimes their a little more general, like:

“Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;” 1 Thessalonians 1:3

-- and --

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” James 1:19

They may not specifically say, “Jimmy would do better in karate than basketball” but, they will tell you how to decide.

“But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must cask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong…” Doctrine and Covenants 9:8-9

Learn from the example of the teacher.

As with everything, Jesus Christ is our perfect example. The more we become like Him and try to emulate His actions they closer we become to Him and to those we love.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do.” 3 Nephi 27:21

Listen to the Spirit for daily updates.

When we are trying our best: learning from God’s words, learning from Christ’s life and love, praying and developing our relationship with our eternal Heavenly Father and our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ, we open our hearts to the presence of the Holy Ghost. We are entitled to his guidance and inspiration from day to day and moment to moment. He comforts, He teaches, He warns, He inspires, He leads us (and those we love) to Christ.

“Whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.” Doctrine and Covenants 84:88

Does that mean we’ll have perfect children? Not at all. Just like us, they have agency. Just like us they can choose Christ or not. Even when they are trying their best, they’ll still make mistakes. Just like us.

Picture yourself on a vacation in the mountains. Even as you unpack your bags, the trees and the path seem to be calling: beckoning you to come and enjoy their beauty. A journey is begun which takes you deep into the forest until time and the trail escape you. Until all at once you realize it is getting dark, you are in fact lost and that you brought nothing with you that would help get you back to the safety of your cabin.

Without canteen, flashlight or compass and very little hope, you have but a few options. You either keep walking and hope you find a way out, call for help and hope someone finds you, or sit down, hang your head in despair and hope things will look better in the morning.

Thankfully, help arrives: a ranger from the area. He sits with you in the glow of His lantern, offering you His canteen and a granola bar as He dresses your cuts and bruises from the trail and tells you where you are. Then, He walks with you, guiding your steps and calming your fears until you reach the safety of your cabin.

Upon entering this life we, in a sense, took a vacation from all that we knew to a place we had never been. We left the presence of our Heavenly Father and now must find our way home again. Fortunately, most of us are willing to let the Ranger, Jesus Christ, help us on our way. He has promised us His constant companionship. He will bind up our wounds and provide us with living waters and the bread of life. He will guide us home.

Is a lantern, canteen and a granola bar the extent of our Elder Brother’s power or His willingness to help us?

Let’s change the ending a bit. This time Ranger says, “I know that you are tired and it’s late, but if you will trust me and follow me there is someplace I want you to see.” Agreeing to follow, you put your life in His hands and begin to walk.

When it seems that you have been walking in darkness forever with only the glow of a friendly lantern to guide your steps, you begin to notice the path before you is changing. The trees and bushes are beginning to thin. Off in the distance, the faintest morning glow is beginning to appear. The sweet sounds of the morning are replacing the mysteries of the night. As you continue to walk towards the coming dawn, hope and excitement begin to fill your heart.

There it is!

A meadow of vibrant wild flowers and the bank of the most beautiful lake you have ever seen. It’s clear blue surface ripples into sparkling diamonds which seem to shout out its purity and sweetness. Off to the side, in the most peaceful spot of the meadow, sets a table. All arrayed in shining white linen, it is prepared with an elegant menu of tempting dishes.

Christ then extends an invitation: “Come, rest where you need never hunger or thirst. Where I will be your constant companion. Where you can stay as long as you wish.”

What is the difference between the two endings? Our expectations and our commitment to them. Many of us have sold ourselves short. Although we may believe that the table is spread for some, most of us can hardly imagine that it is meant for us. We therefore construct a wall between us and our Elder brother and occasionally say, “I need of a sip of water” when there is a feast on the other side of the wall. We can accept that some may receive revelations or live every aspect of their lives by the promptings of the spirit; but, we rationalize and justify this so that it can not, and in the end does not, apply to us. We all have the same promises given to us. If we hunger and thirst after righteousness and do all that is in our power these blessings can not be withheld.

Sadly, many of us simply cannot envision ourselves as that spiritually aware, so we set ourselves up for failure. What we do to ensure we stay on a lantern and granola bar path is very subtle. We may even feel we are doing rather well and have a sense of satisfaction with our course. The wall between us and the Savior is slowly built brick by brick. We add a brick for the harsh words about the driver in front of us, a missed opportunity to serve, a forgotten morning prayer. Then, when we tire from the winds around us and the efforts of building the wall we repent and ask for his canteen, drink, return it and go on building our wall. We seem oblivious to the potential of tearing down the wall instead of building it up.

The basic difference between that which can and will happen is our attitude, our expectations, and our faith. Can we put forth the faith to envision ourselves reaping the benefits of Christ’s promises, and then are we willing to invest ourselves in the work to make it possible? Christ can but knock and wait for us to be willing to open the door and let Him in. We have the keys.