 |
| ©Darrell Wyatt |
I've been thinking this morning about the example I am, as a mother, to my kids. After all, this really is my purpose in being here - to set an example and to lead them back home to our Father in Heaven. My job is not to have a perfectly clean house or a perfect yard or even the most volunteer hours at school. My job is my kids.
A little more than ten years ago, I was in my little kitchen trying to finish dinner before my husband got home from work. My oldest was five, the next was almost four, and I had a few months old baby. It was a particularly trying day, with the baby crying, my son screaming about something or other, and my five year old wanting as much attention as she squeeze out of me. I remember rushing back and forth from the stove to the table to the refrigerator and back to the stove. Everywhere I went, my daughter was right on my heels. Literally. If I would've stopped abruptly, she would've smacked right into my backside. Finally, I could take it no more and I snapped, "What are you DOING??? Why do you have to follow me everywhere?" She looked up at me with her sweetest angel face, unfazed by my snippy tone, and said, "In Primary yesterday, they told us that we need to follow in Jesus' footsteps. I can't see him, so I'm following in yours." This is one of those times as a parent that you wish that - like in the cartoons - there would magically appear a trap door under your feet to swallow you into the floor. What a lesson I learned that evening!
My daughter was right. She, along with the rest of us, are taught to follow in Jesus' footsteps. He was the ultimate example to us of keeping the Lord's commandments. Everything he did while on this earth was to show us the way. He did many things that he, himself, had no need to do - being the only truly perfect man to walk the earth. He knew that the best way to teach was by example. At no time is this more clear than His baptism.
And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!
Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.
And again, it showeth the unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.
He had no need to be baptized, other than to show us the importance of the ordinance and the importance of following the Lord's commandments.
And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?
While I will never be as perfect an example as Jesus was, I do have the same ultimate goal - to teach my kids to keep the commandants and to return them to Heavenly Father. It's sort of like an eternal game of "Follow the Leader". My children are looking to me to lead the way, following my example. I am looking ahead to Christ, following his lead, and Christ in turn was looking to his Father - following his commandments. I need to remember that if I stray from the path, I potentially bring six little souls with me. Just like my daughter said, they can't see Jesus, so they follow in my footsteps. I must be able to righteously say, as Jesus did:
...wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.
You are such a good mom Heather.
ReplyDelete