Eyring - The Legacy of Testimony - April 1996

President Eyring talks about how our testimonies can be a legacy for our families for generations.  He speaks of his ancestors writing daily in their journals and how that has left a testimony for generation to come about their love for the gospel and their belief in the atonement of Jesus Christ.

He shares that our families can have this legacy and it starts with us.

• Our families can be given a gift to know what God would have them do and to learn it in a way that will encourage them to do it. God has provided such a guide. It is the Holy Ghost. We cannot give that to our family members as a companion, but they can earn it. The Holy Ghost can be their constant companion only after they have been faithful and after they have received the ordinances of baptism and the laying on of hands by those with proper authority. But even before baptism, a child or an adult can have the Holy Ghost testify to their hearts of sacred truth. They must act on that testimony to retain it, but it will guide them toward goodness, and it can lead them to accept and keep the covenants which will in time bring them the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

President Eyring shares several things that we can do in our families to encourage the teaching and testifying of the Holy Ghost to those that we love.

• Since it is the Holy Ghost who testifies of sacred truth, we can do at least three things to make that experience more likely for our families.
  
  • First, we can teach some sacred truth. Then we can testify that we know what we have taught is true. And then we must act so that those who hear our testimony see that our actions conform with what we said was true. The Holy Ghost will then confirm to them the truth of what we said and that we knew it to be true.
    
  • We must find other ways to convey our legacy of testimony, but the process of teaching, testifying, and living the truth will be the same. The scriptures, living prophets, and common sense tell us where to begin. We need to start with ourselves as parents. No program we follow or family tradition we create can transmit a legacy of testimony we do not have.

President Eyring outlines several settings in our daily lives that can be great settings to teach and to bring the spirit into the lives of those that we love.

• Here are some ways to make those common settings more likely to invite the experiences which bring testimony to our families.
  
  • First, plan for our weekly family night to be a setting for the bearing of testimony. Be sure that some truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is taught simply and plainly, so that even a child could understand.
    
  • Second, read the scriptures aloud together as a family. It may take unusual determination and inspiration to find a time and a setting. But reading and hearing the words of life from the scriptures will invite the Holy Ghost to confirm their truth.
    
  • Third, kneel together in humble prayer as a family, each having the opportunity to be voice. There may be times when the prayer seems rote and when those not praying let their minds wander. But there will be other priceless moments when someone will petition in faith for real needs and the Holy Ghost will touch hearts with testimony.
    
  • Fourth, fast and allow your children to fast once a month before the meeting in which they will partake of the Lord’s Supper, hear others bear testimony, and perhaps themselves feel prompted to testify. The spiritual blessing will be even greater for them if they know that their choice to overcome their physical desires for food is making possible the caring for the poor. That can’t happen unless we pay a generous fast offering with a joyful heart.
    
  • The warmth and confidence with which we receive home teachers can allow our children to feel confirmation that they come as God’s servants.
    
  • The giving of priesthood blessings as children start a school year or leave home invites the Spirit at a time when hearts are humble and thus receptive to the whisperings of the Spirit.

I am grateful for these suggestions on ways that I can help my family be more receptive to the Holy Ghost.  We have a great opportunity be share our testimonies with those that we love and help them recognize the blessings that come from living the gospel.  I know that our children see our beliefs as we live the gospel.  Leaving our children with a clear testimony of our conviction to follow the Savior despite any challenges that arise, will give them the confidence that when life gets difficult, they can do the same.  I am grateful for people that have come before me and have left that legacy of testimony for me.  I know that their examples have helped me find reassurance that the gospel is true and that Jesus Christ is my Savior.