“We Talk of Christ”

After Lehi partook of the fruit of the tree of life, his first thought was that he wanted to share it with his family. He looked for them, “beckoned unto them,” and said “with a loud voice that they should come (1 Nephi 8:10-18).

The tree in Lehi’s dream represents Jesus. Years later, Nephi wrote about his efforts to ignite faith in Jesus Christ in the hearts of his own descendants. After testifying that there is “none other name” by which we can be saved besides Jesus Christ (2 Nephi 25:20) and that “it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23), he describes the variety of methods he and his family used to teach the rising generation:

We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

2 Nephi 25:26

Elder Jan E. Newman emphasized that we need to follow Nephi’s example:

Nephi’s words imply a constant, ongoing effort to teach our children about Christ. We can ensure that the voice of the covenant people is not silent in the ears of the rising generation and that Jesus is not a Sunday-only topic.

“Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation,” General Conference, October 2023

What does this look like in practice? The manual Teaching in the Savior’s Way reminds us that everything in the gospel points us toward Christ:

There are many things to teach about in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ—principles, commandments, prophecies, and scripture stories. But all of these are branches of the same tree, for they all have one purpose: to help all people come unto Christ and be perfected in Him (see Jarom 1:11; Moroni 10:32). So no matter what you are teaching, remember that you are really teaching about Jesus Christ and how to become like Him.

“Teach about Jesus Christ No Matter What You Are Teaching,” Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 6

What if the message doesn’t seem to resonate? Keep trying. Remember that when Nephi’s nephew, Enos, experienced a personal spiritual crisis, “the words which [he] had often heard [his] father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into [his] heart” (Enos 1:3). The words didn’t sink in immediately, but his father kept teaching them, and eventually they served as a lifeline.

Alma had a similar experience. He was part of the “rising generation” who “did not believe…concerning the coming of Christ” (Mosiah 26:1-2), even though his father was the high priest. But when Alma recognized his errors and wanted to change, he “remembered…to have heard [his] father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world” (Alma 36:17). How many times had his father testified and thought, “That didn’t help my son. He is unwilling to listen and believe.” But his words were beneficial—later.

Today, I will talk of Christ. I will find ways to share with my children my love for the Savior and my conviction that we can overcome every obstacle, particularly our own sins, by believing in Him.