Being a parent is a wonderful blessing. I am so thankful and blessed to be a father of my five wonderful children and to have a wonderful wife with whom I can raise them. All of those who are fathers or mothers, know the blessing of being a parent. It is great to know that we have been given a precious little soul that is made in our likeness. They come to us as clean slates, and we have the most influence upon them as to who we mold them to be in this life. We have the opportunity to mold them to do great things in this life in following in the Footsteps of Christ in being of service unto others and in helping to spread the Gospel to help make this world a better place.
We have a huge responsibility in teaching them the message of our Heavenly Father. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” In all of our various modes, from sitting to walking to lying down, and being arisen, we must work to teach our children. When they reach the age of accountability, we must do our very best to convert them to Christ. Through our converting them to Christ, we are able to raise them up to convert many others unto Christ and take so many more to Heaven.
Fathers, let me speak to your hearts. Being able to look at our children and knowing that these are our flesh and blood is wonderful! Seeing them act like us means so much. Seeing their sweet ways touches our hearts so much. Truly, when God gives us children, He gives us people who will be in our lives forever, and even if they leave this world before us, their examples and the memories of them are still a part of our lives. Ephesians 6:4 says, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Don’t you want to do all that you can now to help raise them in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord, so that they will be with us in Heaven? I never want to go a day without seeing my children in this life, and better yet, I never want to go an eternity without them in Heaven. I want them there with me, and I am going to overturn any stone, cross any mountain, jump any height, and do anything that I have to do to take them to Heaven. Fathers, join with me in this endeavor! Let’s lead our families to Heaven!
-Jason Gann, TBC Registrar
