Children have a remarkable ability to receive light.
At the temple in Bountiful, the resurrected Savior instructed the gathered multitude to bring their children to the front. After they made that change—with Jesus in the front, the children nearest to Him, and the adults behind—Jesus prayed for them, blessed each child, and then said, “Behold your little ones.” Angels descended and ministered to the children. (See 3 Nephi 17:11-25.)
A few days later, those same children taught their parents “great and marvelous things,” even greater than Jesus had taught (3 Nephi 26:14).
Why were these young people so receptive to revelation?
In May 1833, the Lord explained how our ability to receive light can be inhibited as we grow older:
Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God.
And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.
But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.
Doctrine and Covenants 93:38-40
In this passage, He identifies two things which darken our lives: disobedience and tradition. Our ability to recognize truth can be hampered by our own wrong choices and by negative cultural influences.
Elder Benjamin M. Z. Tai recently taught that, like the stars, God’s love for us is constant. But like air or light pollution, “disorienting distractions and terrestrial temptations” can “cloud our spiritual vision.” He taught us how to clear away those barriers and perceive God’s love again:
The scriptures and the Lord’s prophet teach us that we can consistently experience God’s love when, through the grace of Jesus Christ, we repeatedly repent, frankly forgive, strive to keep His commandments, and selflessly serve others. We feel God’s love when we do things that draw us closer to Him, such as conversing with Him daily through prayer and scripture study, and stop doing things that distance us from Him, such as being prideful, contentious, and rebellious.
“The Love of God,” General Conference, April 2025
If sin and distraction hide God’s love from us, then parents can help children receive God’s light by encouraging them to live with integrity and to simplify their lives. We can also help them by inviting them to participate in activities that bring them closer to Him.
Today, I will work to remove barriers which prevent my family and me from receiving light and truth.
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