This morning, during breakfast, I decided to teach the kids about the parable of the ten virgins. First, we watched a little video from lds.org and then I taught the kids about what the parable means and how we can fill our own symbolic lamps, drop by drop, intentionally and consistently.
As you already know, my grandma passed away a couple of weeks ago and her funeral was this past weekend. At the funeral, my cousin sang one of my Grandma’s favorite songs, called To a Child by Ora Pate Stewart. My grandma actually sang this song as part of her talk that she gave in sacrament meeting a couple of weeks before she died. One of the lines from this song that really stuck out to me during the funeral was “Are you taking enough for your journey, child? Does your lamp cast a steady glow?”
After the funeral, I got to pick out a couple of things from my grandma’s house that I could take home to remind me of her. When I saw this little clay oil lamp in the pile of things to choose from, it immediately made me think of that line from the song. And then I saw this little suitcase and it reminded me of the line about taking enough on my journey.
So after teaching the kids about the parable of the ten virgins I sang “To a Child” to them and pointed out these two particular lines. I showed them the little oil lamp and the suitcase and told them that anytime they see these on the shelf in our living room, they can ask themselves those questions “Am I taking enough for my journey? Does my lamp cast a steady glow?”
It’s been neat to hear them say throughout the day today, comments like, “oh! I just put some oil in my lamp!”
“To A Child”
By:Sis. Ora Pate Stewart
Do you know who you are, little child of mine, so precious and dear to me?
Do you know you’re a part of a great design that is vast as eternity?
Can you think for a moment how much depends on your holding the “iron rod”?
Your life is forever— worlds without end— do you know you’re a child of God?
Do you know where you’ve been, little child of mine? It is hard to recall, I know.
Do you ever remember that Home Divine with the Father who loves you so?
Do you sometimes review how He took your hand and placed it within my own?
Saying, “Here is a child from Angel Land —- not a gift, but a precious loan?
Do you know where you’re going child of mine? Are your eyes in the road ahead?
Do the spires of His castle gleam and shine where the sun grows golden red?
Are you taking enough for your journey, child? Does your lamp cast a steady glow?
Can you hold your cause when the storm is wild! You will make it, my child, I know!
