Latter-day Saint Life

3 Ways to Help Your Children Connect with the Spirit

“Were I to draw a distinction in all the duties that are required of the children of men, … I would place first and foremost the duty of seeking the Lord our God until we open the path of communication from heaven to earth—from God to our own souls.”1 After pondering this thought from Brigham Young, my husband and I have often talked about how we can help our young son establish his own connection to heaven. Because of the connection I have with my Heavenly Father, I have been guided, elevated, and led as I make choices and grow through experiences. 

Children need to learn to make their own decisions. Elder Larry Y. Wilson of the Seventy has reminded us that, “Our children are in our homes for a limited time. If we wait until they walk out the door to turn over to them the reins of their moral agency, we have waited too long. They will not suddenly develop the ability to make wise decisions if they have never been free to make any important decisions while in our homes. Such children often either rebel against this compulsion or are crippled by an inability to make any decisions on their own.”2  Like Elder Wilson, my husband and I know that ultimately our son will need to depend more on on the Lord than on us. Here are three principles you can use to help your children establish their own connection to heaven. 

1.  Connection -> Trust -> Obedience

Understand that connection yields trust, which yields obedience. 

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