a mighty tall order

"And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach. " Doctrine & Covenants 42:14

“In our own society, the murderer who kills the body is hunted, imprisoned, and executed, but the character who kills the soul by implanting doubt and shattering faith is permitted not only to go free but also is often retained in high places. The body which is killed will rise again in the resurrection with little damage to its eternal welfare, but he whose faith has been shattered may suffer long ages before complete restoration of spiritual stature can be had, if at all.” (Spencer W. Kimball in Conference Report, Apr. 1948, pp. 109–10)

This is an interesting concept to me. As a mother, I have not only been the teacher of my children's intellect but also their spirits. Starting out, I was dismal. Little by little I learned to study, ponder, and pray about many things, thus enabling myself to teach necessary things. I think without the Spirit to guide me, it was not only that I shouldn't teach--I couldn't. Babble mindlessly on--yes. Rant and rave--yes. Teach--hardly. Or at least I didn't teach what I intended.

Children tune out much of what we say. When it is a lecture, they appear to listen but are actually miles away inside their own worlds. However, the part about those suffering with shattered faith is rather chilling.

President Kimball said in the same speech, "The great objective of all our work is to build character and increase faith in the lives of those whom we serve." Additionally, he indicated, "It would be the part of honor to resign his position. Not only would he be dishonest and deceitful, but he is also actually under condemnation, for the Savior said that it were better that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he be cast into the sea than that he should lead astray doctrinally or betray the cause or give offense, destroying the faith of one of ‘these little ones’ who believe in him. And remember that this means not only the small children, it includes even adults who believe and trust in God. . . ."

We cannot resign as parents, and as parents we are always teaching. That leaves one alternative--study, learn, ponder, pray, and live so as to have the Spirit with us at all times. Be slower to react to little offenses. Be firm, consistant, gentle, and kind. Prepare thoughtfully to teach FHE each week. My Grandmother speaking about rude people (namely family members) suggested we let their comments "roll off your back like a duck in water." I guess mothers must be above pettiness, which is a mighty tall order for me.

So do we grow an iron fence around our hearts to guard against being hurt? I think the answer is to remain tender-hearted, open, and increase our love. We must be willing to serve those we attempt to teach with a Christ-like love. Then we will see our charges with the eyes of the Savior. C. S. Lewis believed that if we saw people as He sees them, we would fall down and worship their majesty. This has reminded me many times over the years that I do not truly understand my companions. Each person should be treated with reverence, because we never know the greatness or the history of those with which we are dealing. We must open our hearts to teach with the Spirit.