Raising The Bar

We have heard the admonition from President Hinckley to send better prepared missionaries out into the field.  It has been several years since we first started hearing the phrase, “Raise the Bar.”  In my household with another missionary only a year away I find myself asking the question, “What must I do to help my son be better prepared?”

The challenge to “Raise the standard of missionaries” can mean only one thing…We, as mothers, must raise our own personal standards of spirituality and worthiness to prepare our children.  Are we ready to take upon ourselves that challenge?  I have seen the power of righteous women too many times to doubt the fact that their influence for good can have a tremendous effect on all those around them. 

Here are some points to consider in raising our own level of spirituality in our homes in the effort to prepare better missionaries.

1. Safeguard your home and make it a place of refuge where the Spirit may be felt.  Limit the worldly media brought into your home.  Make sure that uplifting materials are available such as Church publications, scriptures, pictures of the Savior and good books that are read and discussed.  Television time should be family time and only watched together, as opposed to just being something to do.  Play inspiring music with uplifting lyrics in the home so that those words will be in their thoughts.  By creating homes with a spiritual atmosphere children can more easily recognize and contrast the difference between spiritual and non-spiritual circumstances.
2. Look for opportunities where your family can have uplifting spiritual experiences, such as excursions to visitor centers or temples to do baptisms. Plan family trips that are church history centered.  Help them attend LDS sponsored events such as EFY and stake youth conferences and encourage seminary attendance.
3. Keep communication open and talk about spiritual things with your children so they will be able to recognize the Spirit when they feel it.  Help them realize defining moments in their lives when the Spirit is testifying of truth and eternal principles.
4. Make gospel discussions a commonplace event.  First, we must understand the gospel to discuss its principles effectively.  Talking about the scriptures daily will make the concepts become part of your child, thus becoming part of their nature.  Use examples from the scriptures to help them in daily problem solving.

Several years ago the Church conducted a survey to determine what the motivational factors were for young men and women to serve full time missions.  The findings were reviewed in a gospel doctrine class where the teacher asked what activities or habits create the desire in our youth to serve a mission.  Hands immediately went up and the answers seemed reasonable.  “Attending church”, “graduating from seminary”, “earning the rank of Eagle,” and so on…these answers, however, were not what the survey discovered.

The class members’ responses were the “going though the motions” kind of answers which displayed external obedience. Interestingly the Church found two basic reasons that motivated young men and young women to serve missions which were far different from those expressed that Sunday morning.

The first was personal prayer and the second was personal scripture study. With that announcement by the teacher suddenly the atmosphere in the class took on a different perspective.  We speak about internalizing the gospel… personal study and personal prayers are the epitome of internalizing.

The statement was made that all the activities, teachings and focus on the youth should be centered on the gospel causing them to study and pray on their own. That is the goal we should all be reaching for.

If a child is raised in a gospel centered home where the Spirit is present, scriptures are taught and discussed; good communication with parents, trust and love are felt and daily family prayer, this will become the foundation needed to raise a higher caliber missionary that President Hinckley is asking for.  The attitude will be not “Should I go on a mission”, but, “When I go on a mission.”