In light of my daughter's upcoming baptism I've been thinking about choice. I have often heard it said that parents force their children to obey the religions in which they themselves subscribe . While this may be the case in many instances I deliberately chose long before my children were born not to parent this way when it came to my beliefs. I remember writing in my journal to them 14 years ago explaining why I believe the way I do, hoping they would one day pick it up and know too. My wife also felt this way. We have attempted to read with them often (though at times this can be difficult to do). And we agreed that when the time came when they reached the appropriate age we would sit them down and teach them just as we did as missionaries and go through the plan of salvation.
While Nathan did not have an older sibling to look up to who had already made that decision, Aliyah has. It has been much easier for her to make that leap of faith. For two years now she has constantly asked, "When is my baptism?" or "When I am married in the temple..." I've even taken those times to really seek if this was her idea or mine when I would reply jokingly, "no way, you are never getting married, I'm going to keep you at age 7." Her reply often was, "well what about me getting baptized, I want to be baptized when I turn 8." This is heart warming as a parent when your children find faith in Christ. For as the scripture says, "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:26)
Just last night I was out running errands and was getting home later than normal. I received a text asking how long I would be because the "kids are begging to read 'Preach My Gospel'." This is the new missionary guide use by the missionaries called to serve. Needless to say that added to my thoughts that we do not force but encourage our children and step back to allow them to exercise their agency.
Now in some instances it is clear that we must force them to do some things like eat vegetables and brush their teeth, but in the thing that matters most, Eternal Life, we must allow them to find their own witness, we must give them opportunities to exercise agency. After all this is how our Father allows us to progress. Look all around, there are many examples of agency gone awry, and that's when that most famous question is asked, "if there is a God, how could he let this happen?" Because of agency!
In my writing here I do not do so to boast but to explain for any who may wonder, no this is entirely Aliyah's choice a choice in which I rejoice greatly along with the angels, Jesus and her Heavenly Father.
