My husband taught a great Family Home Evening lesson tonight based on Elder Pearson’s recent General Conference talk, Stay by the Tree. He had the children follow a path and stopped to discuss each principle on enduring to the end from Lehi’s vision of the tree of life that Elder Pearson taught.
- Don’t forget to pray
- Come unto Christ and be perfected in him
- Press forward with faith
- The Book of Mormon is key to spiritual survival
- Don’t be distracted and deceived
- Stay by the tree
After they reached the tree (made out of Lego) we discussed Lehi’s dream a little more, and emphasized the following point:
Search the Book of Mormon and the words of the living prophets every day, every day, every day!
After dessert we ended the evening with our family study of the Book of Mormon. Up to this point we have been taking turns each reading (or repeating) a verse each day. We have been using the Gospel Library app on an iPod and passing it around to each person when it is their turn to read, but a few days ago I felt that our scripture reading would be more meaningful if each person had their own scriptures to follow along with as we read. So I gathered up hard copies of the Book of Mormon (enough for each member of our family), ready to go in our living room in a basket. Tonight we used them for the first time, and the children were excited to touch and read their own copies. We spent a few minutes orienting them to the book, and helped them find our current place in Mosiah. It was a testament to me of the power of the scriptures to see how much the children were drawn to them. I wish we had done this sooner!
Additional Quotes from Elder Pearson
Enduring to the end is a hallmark of true discipleship and is essential to eternal life. But when trials and challenges come our way, we are often told to simply “hang in there.” Let me be clear: to “hang in there” is not a principle of the gospel. Enduring to the end means constantly coming unto Christ and being perfected in Him.
Search the Book of Mormon and the words of the living prophets every day, every day, every day! It’s the key to spiritual survival and avoiding deception. Without it, we are spiritually lost.
True disciples continue to awaken unto God each day in meaningful personal prayer, earnest scripture study, personal obedience, and selfless service. Stay by the tree and stay awake.
If you are struggling, confused, or spiritually lost, I urge you to do the one thing I know will get you back on track. Begin again to prayerfully study the Book of Mormon and live its teachings every day, every day, every day! I testify of the profound power in the Book of Mormon that will change your life and strengthen your resolve to follow Christ.
Elder Kevin W. Pearson, “Stay by the Tree”. April 2014 General Conference.