Making Your Life a Soul-Stirring Journey of Personal Growth
By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Also, Church research in the United States has found that children and youth in Latter-day Saint families who have daily family prayer, family scripture study at least several times a week, and weekly family home evening are about 20 percent more likely than others to attend church weekly, be endowed, or marry in the temple when they become adults....
The true measure of success will not be how smoothly the lesson went, how well we filled the time, how many compliments the teacher gets afterwards, or even how many class members participated. Success depends on what happens in the life of the learner....
All of this may mean that, if you are a teacher, what you see in one of our new teaching resources will be somewhat different from what you’re used to seeing in our old manuals. You may find less specific instruction about what to do and how to do it. That was by design, to urge you to pray for, watch for, and draw on your own experiences and your own inspiration, as well as that of the people you teach....
So let’s assume the course of study is the New Testament and I’m the Sunday School teacher. I don’t necessarily come to class with a quiver full of factoids about the setting of Matthew 5, inspirational quotes from wise people regarding the Sermon on the Mount, and creative activities about how to be a peacemaker, all organized and timed to take us right up to five minutes before the hour. Instead, I study and live the principles in Matthew 5 just as I expect the learners to do. The only difference is that I might do it with more thought and prayer about each of my class members and how these principles might be meaningful to them. Then, in class, under the influence of the Spirit, I encourage them to edify and support one another in their strivings to study and live by Matthew 5. I help them see connections between their lives and the precious doctrine in the scriptures. Above all, I pray for inspiration in the moment to turn a fact into faith, to turn a question into a quest...
If so, let me reassure you with two thoughts: (1) You are teaching people, not lessons, and you know the people better than any lesson manual possibly can. (2) Your personal efforts to learn and live the gospel are the best possible preparation to teach the gospel to others. Remember that the best way to invite the Spirit into our lives—and into our teaching—is to learn and live the gospel ourselves. The Spirit is the ultimate teacher in this Church, and fortunately, there is no limit to that influence.
Also, Church research in the United States has found that children and youth in Latter-day Saint families who have daily family prayer, family scripture study at least several times a week, and weekly family home evening are about 20 percent more likely than others to attend church weekly, be endowed, or marry in the temple when they become adults....
The true measure of success will not be how smoothly the lesson went, how well we filled the time, how many compliments the teacher gets afterwards, or even how many class members participated. Success depends on what happens in the life of the learner....
All of this may mean that, if you are a teacher, what you see in one of our new teaching resources will be somewhat different from what you’re used to seeing in our old manuals. You may find less specific instruction about what to do and how to do it. That was by design, to urge you to pray for, watch for, and draw on your own experiences and your own inspiration, as well as that of the people you teach....
So let’s assume the course of study is the New Testament and I’m the Sunday School teacher. I don’t necessarily come to class with a quiver full of factoids about the setting of Matthew 5, inspirational quotes from wise people regarding the Sermon on the Mount, and creative activities about how to be a peacemaker, all organized and timed to take us right up to five minutes before the hour. Instead, I study and live the principles in Matthew 5 just as I expect the learners to do. The only difference is that I might do it with more thought and prayer about each of my class members and how these principles might be meaningful to them. Then, in class, under the influence of the Spirit, I encourage them to edify and support one another in their strivings to study and live by Matthew 5. I help them see connections between their lives and the precious doctrine in the scriptures. Above all, I pray for inspiration in the moment to turn a fact into faith, to turn a question into a quest...
If so, let me reassure you with two thoughts: (1) You are teaching people, not lessons, and you know the people better than any lesson manual possibly can. (2) Your personal efforts to learn and live the gospel are the best possible preparation to teach the gospel to others. Remember that the best way to invite the Spirit into our lives—and into our teaching—is to learn and live the gospel ourselves. The Spirit is the ultimate teacher in this Church, and fortunately, there is no limit to that influence.
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