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Do you worry about sending your kids out into the world today? Whether it’s to school or a friend’s house or off to college, it can be overwhelming. Did we prepare them enough? Yet, God knows exactly what He is doing. He sees everything we are confronted with every single day, what our children go through, and what our future posterity will encounter. God has given us one way we can be sure God prevails in our lives and not Satan: the resource of Come Follow Me. Whether you are starting to use the Come Follow Me manual for the very first time or you are ready to get out of the rut you are currently in, these ideas are for you.

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We don’t need a light saber, we need the word of God in our lives. That is what is going to help the most- family scripture study, personal scripture study is powerful. Why? Because they point the way to Jesus Christ. President Russell M. Nelson told us in the April 2020 General Conference,

“[Scriptures] teach us about Jesus Christ and His gospel, the magnitude of His Atonement, and our Father’s great plan of happiness and redemption. Daily immersion in the word of God is crucial for spiritual survival, especially in these days of increasing upheaval. As we feast on the words of Christ daily, the words of Christ will tell us how to respond to difficulties we never thought we would face.”

Studying about Jesus Christ and hearing His words is exactly what we need today and the best way to prepare our families! That’s what Come Follow Me does- it gets us personally, as a family, and as a church community in the scriptures more. Listen to some of the blessings our leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have said would come as we do so:

The Savior is more prominent in our homes.
Creating sanctuaries of faith- places of rest and hope
Sabbath days will be a delight
Better prepared to participate in classes which blesses many
Children will be EXCITED to learn AND live the Savior’s teachings.
The influence of the adversary in your life and your home WILL decrease.
Changes in your family will be dramatic AND sustaining. We become new creatures in Christ.
You and your family will know where to turn for help.
Sin loses its appeal.
Homes fill with light, leaving less room for darkness.
We become more like the Savior.
See our children for who they truly are.

There have even been studies on those who read scriptures versus those that don’t and you know what they found? People who read scriptures at least once a week are 100% more likely to feel peace and a sense of well-being than those who don’t read at all. 100%.

Everything sounds great but what do you do when you have family scripture study as part of your effort to do Come Follow Me and it falls flat or you can’t even gather everyone together because of the crazy schedules? I get it. There are days when I do the same scripture study three times because of our schedules. That’s where these creative ideas come in! There is more than one way to do things and you can do it differently every day if you need to. Before we jump in though, remember this:

Repetition is a Good Thing

Don’t be afraid of repetition. Learning through repetition builds confidence, doubles your learning speed, builds patience and retention, and helps create new pathways in the brain! It trains our brains to start thinking differently- thinking celestially! We want these teachings of Christ to be engrained in our brain so it’s second nature to think celestial. Remember Joseph Smith and the Angel Moroni? He came and repeated the same message 4 times in one night. It’s not too much! As a parent, you can relate! How many times do you have to ask them to take out the trash before your kids do it? Or you ask why they didn’t do something and they respond with, “I didn’t hear that, You never told me.” Repetition is a good and helpful thing.

Don’t Compare Your Nephi Method with Her Noah Method

Some of you are going to use the Come Follow Me reading every day of the week and others will use it once a week and read something else a family. There is no one right way. Do what is right for your family whether that’s crossing the ocean like Nephi did or more like Noah or even the brother of Jared. It’s okay that yours looks different than your friend’s. Use what you see others do as inspiration, not comparison.

More than Once

Your family’s study of the Come Follow Me resource doesn’t have to be a one-and-done thing whether that’s once a week or once a day. Use multiple things to reach your kids where they are at in different times of their life. Come Follow Me is a higher and holier way of doing things. It’s part of our life to seek opportunities to talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, prophesy of Christ, and write those moments down! Go ahead and do numbers 7, 34, 66, and 75. You never know which one is exactly what that child needs that day.

You are not a failure

“No home is a failure unless it quits trying” (Harold B. Lee). Yes, sometimes it’s just not going to go well. Some seasons are easier than others. The point is to keep trying and that’s what you are doing. What works for you today, might not work next week. My favorite time is the summer because we have more time to read and discuss yet I hate the school breaks because we are completely out of routine and often forget. Give yourself grace. Know what your minimum is and consult God in making that choice. If all you can do is say a family prayer and read one scripture verse that day and that’s it- pat yourself on the back! You did something! The next day you might read and discuss a whole chapter. Just keep going.

Also, know your children’s max! Stop at the good part. Our job as parents is to create opportunities for the Holy Ghost to be invited. Do what you can and let the Lord do the rest. There is no perfect way to study your scriptures. There is no perfect way to be a parent BUT there are thousands of ways you can be good at it (see talk by Sister Tamara W. Runia).

New methods you try will take time to adjust to so be patient before you cross something off your list. Be flexible and let the Holy Spirit be your guide.

Stay on Target

Get rid of what you don’t need. There are 75 ways you can liven up your studies. None of these are necessary. All you need is access to the Come Follow Me manual and scriptures. That’s it. These ideas are only to help you try new things when you notice a need or you are stuck in a rut, you’re bored, or you just need help creating a routine. Elder Jan E. Newman encouraged us to “Just find what works for you and your family; then try to do a little better each day.”

Remember our goal is to deepen our conversion to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Keep your eye on Christ. Don’t let these creative ideas distract you from the real purpose.

Lead the Way

Your attitude and personal preparation will make all the difference. You can’t do some of the things on the list if you aren’t spiritually prepared yourself and you can’t teach what you don’t know. You must study the scriptures yourself first.

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Examples and Helps

As we continue to dig into the scriptures with our families, we are building on the rock of Jesus Christ, making Him our foundation. A foundation that can NOT fail no matter what happens in this life. Jesus Christ can truly be an active, daily presence in our families as we must lift our sights to see Him. He is the answer to EVERYTHING. Keep studying His teachings and life. You will find what you need.

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