A Life of Peace like a River
By C.S. Bezas

The Lord does not work in the dark. He makes His expectations known. His standards are no secret; His desires for our progress are clear. His efforts, warnings, and admonishments are delineated in the scriptures and are reiterated time and again by our modern-day prophets.

The Lord wants to make sure we “get it,” for we have once chance at this earth life. Therefore, He has worked so that we have joy during it and succeed at it. He has done all things possible to make this available to us. And He has repeatedly shown how to receive exaltation, if we will but hearken.

This is the same pattern we should follow as His teachers, youth leaders, and even as parents. We issue the clarion call; we set the urgent standard. We want our students to live a life of joy, rather than experience the heartache spoken of by Isaiah, when he said, “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea… There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked” (Isaiah 48:18, 22).

The Lord expects us, as His servants, to teach His gospel and nothing but. Our hope and expectation is that the students will listen and apply it in their lives. We teach plain doctrine so our students will know to avoid the pain that travels the stealthy path of rebellion.

We want them to avoid the pernicious sorrow that lines selfish matters. We want them to know the One to whom they can look for pure comfort, guidance, and truth. This is why we center our teachings around Christ — nothing more and nothing less.

In fact, this is precisely why we are counseled to be careful regarding our lesson plans and materials used. Our time is so short with these young men and women. We are to focus on the pure truths of the gospel, as found in the scriptures and taught by modern-day prophets, rather than perhaps cutesy materials found in some bookstore.

Much like Isaiah, who continually circled his lessons around the need for righteous reliance on the Lord, we too join with the holy prophets by centering our lessons on core spiritual truths given us from the Lord. In so doing, we hope to inspire our students to seek redemption at the feet of the Savior.

To make a difference, we must choose wisely how we use each minute during our lessons. We must teach so that our youth have a solid understanding of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This forms the bedrock of who we are as Latter-day Saints. It encompasses what we believe. The restored gospel is a crucial part of every lesson we prepare, whether on the plan of salvation, the Atonement, or any other tenet of our faith.

Teaching with such clarity and concentrated purpose does not mean we cannot be upbeat. On the contrary, the gospel message is one of uplift and yes, even joy. We do not need to be boring; it is not a sin to laugh while working with our youth. But when those lessons are delivered, we want to stand approved before the Lord. We do that by ensuring we have taught the core components of the restored gospel in every lesson we teach.

Personally, I don’t want to waste my students time nor mine, nor do I want to have to explain to the Lord why I got lazy in some of my lessons. The Judgment Day is always present in my mind. I’m not sure why, but it is. I am very aware that every moment in front of my students is as if it is being recorded by some celestial “cam” and one day may be viewed as part of my stewardship review before the Lord himself.

You must be pretty much the same, or I don’t believe you would be here, reading this article. It’s an amazing thing about seminary teachers. We want our young men and women to be able to clearly define for themselves why they are here on this earth, where they have come from, and where they are going. We want them to be able to clearly articulate the plan of salvation, truths about the apostasy, and the need for a restoration.

We especially want them to comprehend the magnificence of the Atonement and what the Savior has done for them. We in essence want the gospel to be a personal thing for and to them!

We are to be about the business of preaching the actual gospel of Jesus Christ, based on the scriptures and church-approved materials, rather than filling our lesson times with cute stories and motivational thoughts. We are not working to become motivational speakers!  We are called to be gospel teachers and to do so with great clarity and power.

This focus and these desires are not new to us, but how easy it might be at times to drift from them in our lessons. Yet we must not. We must not let one lesson pass us by without referencing the magnificence of God’s plan for our students in some way. Nor do we want to let a class period get away from us without witnessing that the Lord loves the students and knows them personally.

Call me intense, but the day will come when each of us will be required to give an account of the time we spent with our youth. There is balance, of course, in all things, but did we do what we could for our youth… within our given abilities? Was it sufficient? Or did we simply fill these youth’s itching ears with plentiful tales (2 Timothy 4:3) that led nowhere in general, other than to entertain them and to keep them quiet?

No, we seek a higher level than this. Rather than let the days slip by easily and without too much trouble, we prefer to stretch and reach for greater good. And we do not need to do it alone. Here are five support systems that await each of us:

1. Our fellow seminary teachers.  All too often, sometimes, I think we try to wage this spiritual battle alone. Yet there is so much strength in our seminary teacher-peers. Get on the phone. Call other seminary teachers who are in your stake. Chat with them. Share ideas. Witness of your struggles, trials, and triumphs. They might need the conversation more than you might know. And you will benefit greatly for sharing.
2. Our seminary supervisors.  Sometimes I wonder if we’re afraid to appear weak in front of those who serve us in leadership capacities. But our CES supervisors and directors are here to help us walk in these essential paths of gospel service. Call your supervisor or director when stumped with a problem. I think you might be surprised to find out just how gratifying that might be for them. They are there for a reason and the inspiration that attends their counsel is quite comforting and can be most potent.
3. The parents of our students.  How refreshing it can be to call up some of the students’ parents to just chat with them with no other purpose than to ask the parents how their child is doing and to let them know you appreciate their child being in your classroom. Adult conversation can be so renewing!
4. Our students themselves.  Take advantage of the time you might have if your students arrive early or are able to stay a few minutes after class. Look them straight in the eye and get to know them. What are their classes like currently? Any favorites? Any they struggle with? Anything funny happen on campus recently? Any worries? I’m always amazed at what happens when I take time to quiet the chatter in my own head to try to really listen to the life and thoughts of another. Instead of weighing me down, I so often will feel renewed for taking a moment to serve another by just letting them talk. The most potent value of getting to know students this way is that tried-and-true thought: “The students won’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Thus, as you are working to teach them essential gospel truths, make sure you are also taking time to learn of the students’ essential struggles, challenges, and even “up” moments they are currently facing in life.
5. Our Lord.  No-one knows better how to support us and renew us in our efforts as faithful gospel teachers than the Lord. Make sure you take time each day to pray to receive ideas, sustenance, and further clarity for your current assignment as a seminary teacher.

Amazing Fervor

Joseph Smith was a model of amazing fervor for the Lord. Listen to his words!

There is much work to be done in the lives of our youth. Let us match the fervor of Joseph Smith. Our youth have integral roles in the future days of the Church and we are losing so many of them to the adversary. Now is not the time to rest.

The world our young men and women face is treacherous, with choices flung at them faster and harder than in any age past. The media are saturated with filthy material. We need our students to have a solid grasp on why they are here, where they came from, and where they are going — essentially the great plan of salvation encapsulated!

Summary

When we teach plain doctrine, we will have students who will follow — because they will have felt the surge of the Spirit testify boldly that this is indeed the gospel of Jesus Christ, authorized by Him. Then, as Isaiah points out, our young men and women will be far more likely to choose a life of peace like “a river” and righteousness as “the waves of the sea” (Isaiah 48:18).

Yes, the Lord makes His “secrets known” (see 1 Nephi 20:16) through His prophets, both ancient and modern. In so doing, He makes the blessings of rich joy and deep comfort possible. He teaches with great clarity — may we do the same!

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Portions taken from C.S. Bezas’ new book, POWERFUL TIPS FOR POWERFUL TEACHERS: Helping Youth Find Their Spiritual Wings, available at your local LDS bookstore or online at http://www.rosehavenpublishing.com.