New Church Life Jan/Feb 2015 | Page 40

new church life: jan uary/february 2015 you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7) Many a parent correctly hears these words as speaking to them, urging them to raise their children with the Lord in mind, and teaching them the Lord’s commandments. This willingness of parents to focus on the spiritual welfare of their children is further taught in the Heavenly Doctrines: Spiritual parents love their children for their spiritual intelligence and moral life, loving them thus for their fear of God and for their piety of conduct or life, and at the same time for their affection for and application to useful endeavors of service to society, thus for the virtues and good habits in them. Out of a love for these traits principally do they provide for and supply their needs. (Conjugial Love 405) This spiritual calling is what inspires many parents to turn to the Church for support. In response, the Church has developed venues such as Sunday Schools or day schools which strive to cooperate with parents in the spiritual education of their children. While we may acknowledge that not every home is perfect, and that sometimes the school or Sunday School can become a substitute for what is not happening in the home, the goal is to engage with parents in what they most want for their children – to help them launch into life with a strong desire to be g ood people. 3. “Success in This World and the Next.” Success is a word with many connotations, some of which lend themselves to getting ahead in this world, and striving for a kind of worldly stature or opulence that is not always healthy. Today we remind ourselves that success can capture a much more noble pursuit. Nowhere is that better captured than in Joshua, where the Lord instructs Joshua himself to meditate in the Book of the Law, ensuring that he “do according to all that is written in it. For then [he would] make his way prosperous, and then [he would] have good success.” (Joshua 1:8) Ask parents if they want their children to be successful, and you will get a resounding yes. If you dig a little deeper, most parents would welcome the qualifier of “goodness” along with that success. The phrase “good success” brings into the equation the Lord’s definition of achievement. It means being a good person. It means successfully living according to the teachings of the Word, so that the Lord is able to form them into people who can live in heaven. It means framing our goals on, and celebrating, milestones that accord with what the Lord says is most important. That could include successfully raising a family, or serving in a job that intentionally makes the world a better place, or developing skills of truly wise friendship. 36