I knew it was a prayer answered today when I came across a wonderful lesson with Sarah while working on her Personal Progress for her Young Women Group that she is apart of at our church.
One of the goals that she chose to work on today talks about Obedience being an attribute of the Savior. She is supposed to work on being more obedient to her parents and read Luke 2:40-51 and John 6:38.
Click on those links to refresh your memory of the actual scriptures but if you remember the story in Luke, it's talking about when the Savior goes to Jerusalem with his parents at 12 years old (hmmm, how convenient that Sarah's 12 yrs. old). Remember when Joseph and Mary realized he was still back in Jerusalem teaching in the temple and it took them some time to find him again.
Remember Mary's words:
"Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing."
Remember Jesus' words back:
"How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my father's business?"
It actually states that Joseph and Mary "understood not the saying which he spake unto them." My favorite part, Jesus "went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them." Adding the foot notes on the word "subject" that this covers the topic of duty of children and self-mastery means even more to me.
Then you can flip and read John 6:38...
"For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."
As I read these scriptures today, my mind propelled back to when I would hold my newborn babies in the hospital. In quiet moments with all three of my babies (nobody was around...not even Justin), I would hold those little faces right up in front of me and tell them "I just want you to Love God!" That's it. I would tell them that one wish I had for each one of them. One Megan wish to her children..."I will do everything in my power to teach you to Love God!"
Oh ya....our Savior came to do "His Father's will" not his own. He loved God! He loved his parents and therefore didn't stay to teach in the temple any longer whether they understood each other or not he followed his parents back to Nazareth because he respected and honored them.
I was touched. I sit here feeling touched again as I think how Sarah responded to reading all of this with me. We talked about how Jesus followed his parents even though it wasn't his idea but just because they asked him to. We talked about Jesus coming to earth and doing very very hard things not because it was his idea or what he wanted to do but because His Father in Heaven had asked him to do it. All the sudden I saw connection and light bulbs turn on in her little blue eyes. She said "Oh ya, and I need to follow Jesus' example!"
So, to that wonderful face book article I read this morning and loved...one more thing I would add...the most important thing...remind them and you that it's because you Love God!!! What I should do when she doesn't stop arguing is find a moment to teach both of us with the spirit about our Savior and he obeyed his parents (earthly and heavenly parents).
When it's calm and we are able to feel our love for God, I as a daughter can do and say and command my children the way he wants me to and in turn those little children can follow because they are following their Savior.
