A talk that has been a personal favorite of mine for some time is "Satan's Thrust --Youth" by Benson: http://lds.org/ensign/1971/12/satans-th ... rust+youth
In it he begins by saying:
The thoughts that have been running through my head are in relation to this and a talk I heard on the BYU channel about 3-4 years ago. I have no idea who was speaking or where, but it was a man that at the time of the story shared was both a psychiatrist and Stake President. Here's what I remember of the story:It has been well said that “there comes a time when the general defilement of a society becomes so great that the rising generation is put under undue pressure and cannot be said to have a fair choice between the Way of Light and the Way of Darkness.” (Hugh Nibley, An Approach to the Book of Mormon, 1957.)
A woman with a loving family, married in the temple, etc, came to him upset about her abusive childhood. I believe she was asking the "Why me" type questions, and talking about having had only boys saying she'd be jealous of a daughter's relationship with her husband (because of her lack of- or abusive- relationship with her own father). This man shared that he felt inspired to tell her that Heavenly Father was aware of her suffering and that she had been placed in that position because of her strength --that she had cleansed her line of that scourge and that because of her, generations would be born without that same suffering she went through.
This talk really touched me and I've been able to apply the principle to many areas of my life. I was not abused, but I can see that through my experiences growing up (especially the negative ones) I have been given both the understanding that something needed to change as well as the drive to make those changes in other "abusive" aspects of my life. In areas of nutrition, education, priorities, false traditions, faith in the arm of flesh, etc, I've been able to "cleanse my line" so to speak, to be a barrier, so that my children can have a fair choice in this life. I'm not saying by any means that we are perfected in any of those areas, but I can see how vastly different their upbringing is...where I am fighting to unlearn and re-learn, they are learning truth and able to put their efforts into the actual fight for right.
I know that the Lord has sent these strong, choice spirits here at this time in preparation for what lies ahead, and that I am here to give them the best start and best fighting chance possible. It is often discouraging to feel alone and like an outcast for making many of the choices we have, to not follow societal norms, but I know that our children will be stronger and more capable to stand at the last day, girded about by the whole armor of God, because of our choices.
President Benson ends his talk by saying:
CatherineYes, “There comes a time when the general defilement of a society becomes so great that the rising generation is put under undue pressure and cannot be said to have a fair choice between the Way of Light and the Way of Darkness.”
God grant that we as parents and leaders of youth may have the power and the good common sense to give them “a fair choice,” I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
