Honoring Our Parents

Parents and Children in the Book of Mormon

Tell your family that in the Book of Mormon there are many examples of children who, because of their faith in Jesus Christ, honored their parents nd loved them more than they would have done without that faith. We are going to discuss two of these children. The first is Nephi, son of Lehi and Sariah. You may want to read the story in 1 Nephi 16:18-23 or have someone read or tell the following story, using the illustration.

Nephi and Lehi

While Lehi's family were in the wilderness, they had to hunt for meat in order to eat. On one occasion, Nephi, the chief hunter, broke his fine steel box and could not hunt. His brothers were unhappy with him and murmured against him. Even Lehi became discouraged when he saw his family's hunger, knowing that because Nephi's bow was broken, they could not get anything to eat. He, too, murmured against Nephi and against the Lord because of the hardships of surviving in the wilderness.

It must have hurt Nephi to have his family and even his father murmur because of their difficulties. However, when he later made a new bow of wood, he consulted with his father to find out where he should hunt. Thus, even thought Nephi could see that his father, Lehi, was subject to human weakness, he still honored him by respecting his judgment and asking him for guidance.

Ask: How was Nephi blessed because he honored Lehi? (Nephi learned the value of honoring his parents, and he was happier because he did what Jesus wanted him to do, no matter what anyone else did.)

What effect do you suppose Nephi's actions had on Lehi? (Lehi probably realized that he had been wrong to murmur. He must have wanted to become more worthy of his son's love and respect.)

In your life today, when you are upset with your mother or father for some reason, how could you honor them, anyway, as Nephi did? (Discuss occasions from your own family experience when parents were honored or could have been honored, if the children had had enough faith in Jesus Christ to keep this commandment.)

What is another word for murmur? (complaining) How does this story show how our Heavenly Father feels about complaining? How can we apply this lesson in our lives?

When you finish discussing Nephi and Lehi and the implications of Nephi's example, have someone read or tell the following story about another son and his father.

Moroni and His Father

The wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites began again after the two-hundred-year peace following the Savior's visit. This time the Nephites were more wicked than the Lamanites, and this wickedness led to their destruction. The last two surviving righteous Nephites were Mormon, the great prophet-general compiled the Book of Mormon and gave it his name, and his son Moroni. Mormon was finally killed.

We have the marvelous record kept by Mormon because his son Moroni, after the death of Mormon, hid the record in a secret place after adding some of this own words. Before he buried the golden plates in the ground, Moroni wrote, "I, Moroni, do finish the record of my father, Mormon. Behold, I have but few things to write, which things I have been commanded by my father. . . . I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, . . . and how long the Lord will suffer that I live I know not." (Mormon 8:1, 5)

Later, he returned again to the place where he had hidden the record and wrote, "I had supposed not to have written more, but I have not as yet perished." (Moroni 1:1) Then he declares, "And now I, Moroni, write a few of the words of my father Mormon." (Moroni 7:1) After wandering alone across the land, hiding from the enemies who would destroy him and thinking about the people who would find the record, Moroni chose to prepare a written account of the wise counsel that had been given by his father, Mormon. Thus, he preserved the record his father had compiled, and were it not for him, the whole Book of Mormon, including the sayings of Mormon that Moroni contributed, would have been lost to us, the people for whom he wrote.

Moroni added no more to the record after that, and so we suppose that he died somewhere alone, having kept his word to his father to preserve the sacred records that become the Book of Mormon.

Ask: What did Moroni do, even after his father was dead, to honor him? (He kept safe the record Mormon had compiled, and he added to it the wise words of Mormon, which he knew would be of great value to future generations.)

How can we today honor our parents and our good family name? (We can be the kind of people who can be trusted. We can do what we know we are expected to do, even though it is not easy.)

To illustrate this, have someone read or tell the following story.

Tammy's Decision

Since her mother's death, and especially since her father had remarried, Tammy had found comfort in her association with her friend, Helen, even though she knew Helen had the reputation of going around with a wild crowd. Tammy was not sure what a wild crowd did, but Helen was a vivacious girl, full of life and laughter, and Tammy was flattered that she was Helen's friend.

One morning at breakfast, Tammy's stepmother said to her, "Tammy, I hope you'll always remember that both your mother and your father come from good families and that you're a representative of both of them. Don't you be the one to bring dishonor to those families." At the time, Tammy just laughed it off the way she was sure Helen would have done. You don't know what you are talking about, she thought.

About a week later, Helen invited Tammy to a party. It was at the home of a girl Tammy didn't know, and it was not until she arrived that Tammy realized that the girl's parents weren't home. She disregarded the uneasiness she felt, and things went all right for a while. The young people danced and ate chips and dip and popcorn. After whispering together for a few minutes in a corner with some of the others, Helen came to Tammy and held out her hand to her.

Helen's eyes were bright. What she had in her hand was a strange, little, homemade cigarette. "Come on, Tammy," she said. "Try it; you'll like it."

Tammy's head whirled. She stared dumbly, first at the thing in Helen's hand, then at Helen. She knew it was marijuana although she had never seen any before. A strange, sickly sweet smell filled the room, and suddenly she seemed to hear a voice in her ear repeating, "Don't you be the one to bring dishonor . . ."

"No," said Tammy abruptly. "'I don't want anything to do with that." She was surprised at the self-assurance she felt as she quietly left the party.

Tammy no longer cared what the others thought. She was conscious only of the warm satisfaction of knowing that, in her moment of decision, she had chosen to honor her parents rather than to go along with her friend.

Honoring Our Parents

Conclude by saying that, like Nephi and Moroni of old, or like Tammy in our own day, each of us can honor our parents and preserve our good name.

Ask: How can we honor our parents? (Write suggestions down on paper or a chalkboard so that all can see.) The list might include the following:

1. We can do what our parents tell us to do.
2. We can respect them even when they are less than perfect.
3. We can help them in what they have to do.
4. We can pray for them.
5. We can tell them that we love them, and demonstrate our love by our actions.
6. We can be the kind of people they would like us to be.

Discuss how we honor our parents. Explain that honor means to show respect. We honor parents when we follow their teachings and do the things we know they would like us to do.

Read Ephesians 6:2-3

How could honoring parents help us to "live long on the earth?"

Point out your concern for your children's health and safety. Relate a personal experience of a time when following parent's advice saved someone from harm, or use the following story:

Jon and Brad were admiring Jon's older brother's new bike. "What a beauty," said Brad. "I'd give anything to be able to ride it!"

"Bob is only six like us," Jon said, "and he rides his brother's bike all over. You know, my parents have never really said I couldn't ride the bike."

"Neither have my parents, but I know what they'd say if I asked them. They'd say that I should wait until I am older and big enough."

"Well, our parents don't need to know if we just take a short ride around the school yard."

As they rode around the school yard, they skidded on some gravel and took a painful fall that left them scraped and bruised. After the accident, both Jon and Brad understood why their parents would not have let them ride the bike, had they asked. Following their parents advice would have saved them trouble and pain.