“In our day, many children grow up with
distorted values because
we as parents overindulge them.
Whether you are well-to-do or,
like most of us, of more modest means,
we as parents often attempt to provide
children with almost everything they want
thus taking away from them
the blessing of anticipating,
of longing for something they do not have.
One of the most important things
we can teach our children is to deny themselves.
Instant gratification generally makes for weak people.
How many truly great individuals do you know
who never had to struggle?”
–Elder Joe J. Christensen, 1999
“Giving really is at the
heart of our faith.
At this Easter time, we again commemorate that “God [our Heavenly Father] so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,” who came to the earth and could have possessed any material thing but rather chose to give to all of us an example of a simple life free from any shade of greed, selfishness, or overindulgence. May we strive daily to live more like He lived, the ultimate example of a life of depth and meaning.”
–Elder Joe J. Christensen, 1999