A Summary of my lesson on Courageous Parenting

On Sunday, I gave a lesson based on Courageous Parenting by Elder Larry Lawrence.  In our ward, who ever teaches the lesson to the women of Relief Society is responsible to send out an email recap of what she taught.  Here's mine for this week.  Bear in mind, this is not all that I said nor all that was important.  But it's something.

What is courage?  Based on this scripture in 2 Timothy 1:7-8, we could get a good definition of courage.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord."

So, courage often means

power

love

a sound mind

and testimony

What are you currently being asked to do that requires courage (for you)?

How could acting with courage help any of your relationships?

How could courage help you fulfill your church callings better?

How do we help each other be courageous?

Elder Lawrence shares the example of Alma, who is asked by the Lord to counsel and correct his son Corianton, who has committed serious sins and by so doing has led others away from the church.  We need to follow Alma's example as shown in this verse (Alma 39:12) where he says, "And now the Spirit of the Lord doth say unto me: Command thy children to do good, lest they lead away the hearts of many people to destruction; therefore I command you, my son, in the fear of God, that ye refrain from your iniquities;"

Alma chooses to have the difficult conversation with his son, even though it might be unpleasant, because he fears (reveres, loves, respects) God more than he fears Corianton's possible response. We need to act and speak with that kind of courage when we counsel our children, as prompted by the Spirit. We need not be afraid to let our children know that we're acting based on a prompting from the Holy Ghost.  

So what could courage look like in your family?

Elder Lawrence recommends 5 practices for courageous parents:

family prayer

family scripture study

family home evening

family dinner together

regular one-on-one interviews with each child

I love this quote from Elder Lawrence about one-on-one interviews with each child: 

"One of the most effective ways we can influence our sons and daughters is to counsel with them in private interviews. By listening closely, we can discover the desires of their hearts, help them set righteous goals, and also share with them the spiritual impressions that we have received about them. Counseling requires courage."

Sometimes the courageous thing is to leave our old self behind and become someone new through the atonement--someone who does something outside her comfort zone because it will help bring unity and share love. But sometimes the courageous thing is to stay the same--to be exactly consistent with rules and consequences with our children. Sometimes the courageous thing is to bite our tongues and listen listen listen to our children even if what they say is hurtful to us or is unkind. Listen to understand them. Sometimes the courageous thing is to speak up. Say the thing they need to hear. Say no. Bear the testimony they need to hear. Pray for them what the spirit prompts you to pray, even if they are listening to the prayer.

Acting with courage as prompted by the Holy Ghost brings personal growth and increased closeness in our relationships. Let's all help each other do it.