Children

I just read about a celebrity who bought their very own private island. I want one. Some days, I feel like moving our family to live on a deserted island where I could protect them from all that is bad in the world. We might literally swim with the sharks, but we could avoid Internet pornography, school shootings, overwhelming materialism, profanity, abuse from sexual predators, immorality, gender confusion, drunk drivers, and illegal drugs.

I can’t hold my breath for my deserted island dream. I know that we are in the real world to stay. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as the Mormon Church) know our plight as parents and understand the challenges we face. They want to help. In great wisdom, they understand that escape isn’t the answer. They know that we can make it through.

“I don’t think it’s called for…to live in fear, to see all that’s going on around us and say, ‘How can we ever raise a family when all of this temptation and difficulty is about us?’ Well you can, because you can be guided and you can teach your children to be guided. In all of that you can live a happy life and find in the consummation of all of this, in the next existence, that the family can be together” (Boyd K. Packer, Worldwide Leadership Meeting, Building Up a Righteous Posterity, Feb 2008)

So how do we protect our most priceless possession – our children? We can’t follow them around every minute. We can’t live their lives for them. Parents have a responsibility to protect their children, but if we can’t protect them by removing them from everyday life, what can we offer as protection?

First, we need to know who or what we are fighting against.

In a world of opposition, there is true good (from God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ) and true evil (from Lucifer). The “father of all lies” (2 Ne. 2:18). is a real enemy who actively seeks to deceive, distort and destroy. Then, when he has enticed us to destroy ourselves, he will not rescue us. He only wants us to be as miserable as he is. (2 Nephi 2:18). He has "fiery darts” that he shoots at us: pornography, lust, abuse of power, selfishness, hate, addiction, pride, violence, extremism, disobedience, and every other vice. He uses every weapon at his disposal – the blatant and subtle. Reports of his success in battle are showcased on the evening news or in the morning paper. It certainly seems that he is gaining ground.

But even with his successes, our questions about protection are not unique to our generation. The scriptures teach us how to give our children sturdy armor that will protect them against the battle for character, morality and the human spirit. Paul the apostle taught:

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your fee shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:1-17)

The best protection we can give our children is spiritual. We can arm them with truth, righteousness, peace of the Gospel, faith, salvation and the word of God. Time spent together as a family in worship, prayer, scripture study and conversation builds the armor piece by piece, until our children are well protected to enter the world. It is time well spent. Our effort is worth it. The protection we can offer is constant and enduring. We can trust our Father in Heaven’s promise for us and for our children that if we obey the commandments we will be happy (Mosiah 2:22). We can live by faith and not its opposite - fear.

So maybe I don't need my own island after all. I think that's o.k., I sunburn anyway.