Staying STRONG in the STORMS of Life

"This is a day of proving ourselves, a day of trial. This is a day when men's hearts are failing them with fear. When the multitudes in the world are asking themselves what the end will be. A few inspired men know what the end will be. The Lord has told us what would occur, in [the scriptures], this wonderful library that I hold in my hand. He has given us the information that we need to adjust our lives and to prepare ourselves that no matter what may transpire we will be on the Lord's side of the line." George Albert Smith

How true this is. We are in a day of challenging times. The Lord gave us the scriptures to help us overcome our trials and prepare for exaltation. It is hard for the Lord to help us, if we don't ask. A minor challenge I have had in my life recently, may not seem like a challenge at all, but to me it is. I am trying to teach Zoie to pray and be reverent. When we will kneel down for family prayer, she fusses and tries to lift us up and unfold our arms. It is really frustrating for me.

One evening I prayed to Heavenly Father asking him to help me figure out how I can get this principle across to Zoie. When I finished, I started to read in the Book of Mormon. I felt inspired to read in 1 Nephi. I wanted to read about Lehi and how he taught his children. After I finished reading, I realized that the only way for me to really teach the importance of prayer and reverence to Zoie was to just do it. Be an example. When we have family prayer, I fold my arms, bow my head, and close my eyes, and pretty much ignore her. It worked for a while, but she still had her moments, but she is only 19 months, it'll get better. A couple weeks later, she now folds her arms and bows her head. She is the biggest reminder to us to pray, and she loves saying "Amen." It is the cutest thing in the world and it melts my heart to see her praying and being reverent. A little while ago, she prayed with her baby and put her baby to sleep. She talked aloud and when she was done said "amen", kissed her baby and laid her down. I wanted to cry, I was so proud of her.

This is not a very big trial, but something I've struggled through and wanted to give up on. But with the strength of the Lord, and the encouragement I found in the scriptures, I was able to learn how to teach my child the importance of prayer. It really is through prayer and the scriptures we can stay STRONG in the STORMS of life.