Scripture of the Week

Our sons are all under the age of ten, yet despite their youthful enthusiasm, family night has usually been a special and reverent time. However, recently my husband and I began to feel out of control in our efforts to keep the Spirit with us through our family night lessons.

One night after an especially “un-special” family night, I knelt in fervent prayer for some guidance. The answer immediately rushed over me with solid, comforting assurance—we needed to read the scriptures. Up to this point, we had refrained from reading the scriptures in our home evenings for fear of overwhelming our young children and losing their attention. But I knew at that moment that we had misjudged our children’s ability to love and appreciate the scriptures.

The next week at family home evening, we started a simple scripture-reading program. I took the lead and selected a favorite scripture. Then I printed it in bold letters on brightly colored poster paper. That night, I stood and introduced our new tradition—our “scripture of the week.” I displayed my sign and read its words: “Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings.” (D&C 108:7.)

Our family repeated the scripture together. Then I bore my testimony and explained why the scripture was important to me and how it could bless our lives. The Spirit was strong, and we welcomed the opportunity to enjoy its peaceful presence as we proceeded with the rest of our family home evening.

The next morning at breakfast, all eyes were drawn to our “scripture of the week” sign, which I had taped to the kitchen cupboards. We reviewed our scripture and its meaning and rehearsed it aloud before each of us went on with our day.

A few days later, I had an unexpected surprise when I heard my son reciting our “scripture of the week” from memory. Suddenly I realized that without really planning to do so, I had memorized the scripture, too. Somewhere between our introduction of the “scripture of the week” and our testimony of it, our minds had been opened to receive its words, our hearts had been lightened by its message, and our home had been blessed by its spirit.—Stacey Child Weeks, Carson City, Nevada