Good Insight By John

Monday night, we went to Target for the first part of Family Home Evening. I needed to pick up a prescription for Anya, and we were planning on getting some things to make banana splits for a treat. Our 5 oldest kids were really bad in the store. They were running in all directions, playing with things they were not suppose to, not coming with us, or running very far ahead and into other customers, and wrestling. I think that it is really difficult when two kids do that in a store. But when 5 kids do this, it is a nightmare. So after I got Anya's prescription, I said no banana splits for our naughty children. Ruth was quite indignant about this and demanded to know what she personally had done wrong to deserve such a punishment. John took over and explained to her the situation in a very profound way. He said approximately:

Ruth when the early saints were driven out of Missouri was it because they had all done something wrong? Do you think that people like Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were at fault? (Ruth agreed that that was likely not the case.)

John continued: And yet, Joseph Smith was sent to Liberty Jail at that point. (Ruth has been their and we have been reading about that recently.) All of the saints were punished and had trials as a result of some people having strifes and not imparting of their substances to the poor.

Then John asked: If 2 people of the 8 people in our family are fighting can we have the Holy Ghost in our home? (Ruth answered no.) But is it the fault of the other 6 people? (Ruth again said no.)

Then John said: You see, Ruth, salvation is often a family matter. We can not have Zion if one member is not working toward the whole, and often it will feel like a punishment to the rest of us. We have to do our best to keep the commandments and to do what is right and then we have to do our best to help our family members to do their best and chose the right. And we have to all work together. Families are saved together and that is a wonderful thing.