2014-05-00-ensign-eng

Raymond, Alberta, CanadaWe as leaders are also greatly concernedabout the spouses and familiesof those suffering from pornographyaddiction. Elder Richard G. Scott haspleaded: “If you are free of serious sinyourself, don’t suffer needlessly theconsequences of another’s sins. . . .You can feel compassion. . . . Yet youshould not take upon yourself a feelingof responsibility for those acts.” 3Know that you are not alone. Thereis help. Addiction recovery meetingsfor spouses are available, includingphone-in meetings, which allowspouses to call in to a meeting andparticipate from their own homes.Brothers and sisters, how do weprotect our children and youth? Filtersare useful tools, but the greatest filterin the world, the only one that willultimately work, is the personal internalfilter that comes from a deep andabiding testimony of our HeavenlyFather’s love and our Savior’s atoningsacrifice for each one of us.How do we lead our children todeep conversion and to access ourSavior’s Atonement? I love the prophetNephi’s declaration of what his people16did to fortify the youth of his day: “Wetalk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, wepreach of Christ, [and] we prophesy ofChrist . . . that our children may knowto what source they may look for aremission of their sins.” 4How can we do this in our homes?Some of you have heard me tell howoverwhelmed my husband, Mel, andI felt as the parents of four youngchildren. As we faced the challengesof parenting and keeping up with thedemands of life, we were desperate forhelp. We prayed and pleaded to knowwhat to do. The answer that camewas clear: “It is OK if the house is amess and the children are still in theirpajamas and some responsibilities areleft undone. The only things that reallyneed to be accomplished in the homeare daily scripture study and prayer andweekly family home evening.”We were trying to do these things,but they were not always the priorityand, amidst the chaos, were sometimesneglected. We changed ourfocus and tried not to worry aboutthe less-important things. Our focusbecame to talk, rejoice, preach, andtestify of Christ by striving to dailypray and study the scriptures and haveweekly family home evening.A friend recently cautioned, “Whenyou ask the sisters to read the scripturesand pray more, it stresses themout. They already feel like they havetoo much to do.”Brothers and sisters, because Iknow from my own experiences, andthose of my husband, I must testify ofthe blessings of daily scripture study