Teaching Self-Reliance to Children and Youth
Teaching Self-Reliance to Children and Youth
Hugo E. Martinez
Takeaways:
“Self-reliance is defined as ‘the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the spiritual and temporal necessities of life for self and family.’” It comes through “growing in spiritual strength, improving our physical and emotional health, pursuing our education and employment, and being temporally prepared.”
“Striving to be self-reliant is part of our work along the covenant path that leads us back to Heavenly Father and to His Son, Jesus Christ. It will strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and joyfully bind us to Him through the covenants and ordinances of salvation and exaltation. Self-reliance is a doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ, not a program. It is a process that lasts a lifetime, not an event.”
Youth and children learn self-reliance by learning the gospel, participating in service and church activities, and setting and achieving goals “in four areas of personal development that are unique for each child,” and that each child chooses for themselves, including spiritual, social, physical, and intellectual.
Parents and leaders teach self-reliance through example, “by working and serving with [youth and children], studying the scriptures, and following the teachings of Jesus Christ as taught by prophets.”
“[L]et us follow our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His gospel by becoming self-reliant throughout our lives and teaching this to our children and youth. We can do this best by
1. being good examples of service to others,
2. living and teaching the doctrine and principles of self-reliance, and
3. obeying the commandment to build self-reliance as part of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Questions to Ponder:
Do you have the “ability, commitment, and effort” to provide for your own spiritual and temporal needs? What about the needs of your family, if applicable?
Ponder each of these four areas of your life one at a time: spiritual, social, physical, and intellectual. How are you doing in each area? What area are you the strongest? What area are you the weakest? Do you feel prompted to make any goals?