His Promises Come

Have you ever heard people say they don't bribe their children or offer them rewards because it teaches them they always get something when they complete a task or chore?  Well, the other day I realized something about this topic that I think is pretty important when we are raising kids and I learned it in preparation for teaching the kids I teach at church.  I now teach the 7-8 year olds at church and something I told them I would do is bring them cinnamon rolls on the last Sunday of the month if they all remembered their scriptures every Sunday.  Now sometimes they don't and I send them off to the library to go get them, even though most of them remember now that they need to bring their scriptures to church.  I also give them a snack or some sort of treat when they answer questions and get involved in the discussion. 

What I didn't recognize at first is that I'm helping them learn an eternal principle and how Heavenly Father works.  No, His rewards aren't in treats and cinnamon rolls but He does reward us.  He asks us to say our prayers and read our scriptures every day and lots of times we have the instant rewards of more peace, greater clarity, and we just feel happier.  Then there are other things he asks us to do over an extended period of time.  He wants us to learn diligence and to have a desire to receive the blessings He has for us.  He doesn't give it to us the first time we keep the commandment He has asked us to.  He waits and watches for us to keep acting on our own.  Just like the kids in my church class even though they ask me on the first Sunday of the month and every Sunday after that if I brought them cinnamon rolls, I gently remind them no I didn't.  Remember you have to keep up your end and bring your scriptures to church every Sunday.  They don't get mad at me, they just say okay. 

It's not about the cinnamon rolls once a month or the small treat every Sunday when they participate.  It's about teaching them how Heavenly Father works by acting and waiting until the promises come.  There are so many things we do each and every day that seem like normal life situations, but they are actually experiences where Heavenly Father is trying to teach us how He works.  When we learn those simple lessons keeping at something He has told us to do that seems hard is made easier because we have learned that the promises come.  The kids didn't get mad at me they said okay.  We can learn a great deal by saying okay when the blessing hasn't come yet or an answer to a question hasn't come yet.  Those words okay from those children, show they have faith in me and that I will do what I said I would do. They learn to have faith just like we can that the Lord will do what He said He will, if we do what He has asked us to do.  Keep learning.  Keep trying.  Keep growing and looking for the ways that Heavenly Father is showing you who He is.