Such a good question.
Nephi had received beautiful answers from God that gave Him peace and understanding. His question “have ye inquired of the Lord?” was a plea for his brothers to seek the kind of experiences he was having. Nephi knew that God was there, ready to speak to them.
One of the most powerful things we can do as a parent or a friend, is turn them to the Lord for answers.
I was one of those teens who would not be told what to do. Luckily, my parents were wise. They let me know their thoughts, and they reassured me that they trusted me completely. Then they would often invite me to pray about the situation (and I might have rolled my eyes at first…but eventually I would pray about it). My parents figured I would take an answer from God a lot better than from them. And they were right.
I know a young woman who wanted to go camping with her friend’s family over the weekend. It would mean missing church and not observing the Sabbath Day. Her mom asked her to pray about it and left the decision up to her.
She came to church the next day and explained that when she had prayed, she felt like God told her it would be better to stay home so she could go to church. She didn’t seem to regret her decision—in fact, she was really happy.
If her mother had compelled her to stay home, the outcome of that situation could have been ugly, and even caused a wedge between them. Instead, because of prayer, it brought them closer to God and to each other.
I want to parent more like that. I want to trust that our kids can receive guidance from the Lord.
It’s our privilege and responsibility to teach our children how to seek and receive personal revelation. As they grow up and move out, they will need to be spiritually self-reliant. That is the goal. If we can give them opportunities to turn to God while they are still with us, we can help them identify how personal revelation looks and feels for them. It can become a habit.
The next time someone comes to you for advice, consider turning them to the Lord for answers.
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