Out of the mouths of babe's...

Yesterday, sitting in sacrament, my 5 year old E plopped her Book of Mormon on my lap and commanded me: "READ IT!". Well, I was trying to listen to a talk and so I ignored her. So she began on her own "and it came to pass....". That caught my attention and as I looked down I realized that by chance, that particular page had at least 10 verses that started with "and it came to pass". Since E has started to read, I started to point out to her where it did actually say that. Her eyes got wide as she realized that what she had said out loud, was actually written on the page! So then, she started reciting: "and it came to pass....that I Nephi, said unto my father..." Now it was really getting fun. I flipped in the Book of Mormon to 1 Nephi 3:7 and got out my little red scripture marker and marked that verse for her in her scriptures. As I showed her the words that matched what she had said out loud, she giggled out loud with the most pure delight in the world. I think she was tickled pink at herself. And I sat back in wonder and amazement. Amazement that my 5 year old could recite a verse of scriptures. And I realized that there is power in repetition. And not just any repetition. There is power in repeating truth over and over and over again. And not just power. It is empowering to have truth become a part of you. There is beauty when you see a young child who knows what to do with a sacrament tray, because he has attended church with his parents from the time he was a baby. He observes the ritual of partaking of bread and water and imitates the behavior until he can understand for himself the significance of what he is doing. This small experience made me grateful for modern day prophets who teach us to hold family prayer, family scripture study, to attend church together on Sundays, and to hold weekly Family Home Evening. The prophets know that there is power in repetition. It empowers children when they know what to count on.