Becoming Christ-Like Parents

"What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye To Be"-Lynn G. Robins 
-Christ invites us to take upon His name and His nature.
-"To become as He is, we must do the things He did". (3 Nephi 27:21)
- You cannot separate "to be" and "to do".
-"Do without be--hypocrisy--portrays a false image to others, while be without do portrays a false image to oneself".
-While "do" is important, "be" is what really matters more.
EX) Do: baptism, BE: faith in Christ and a change of heart.
EX) Do: Sacrament, BE: being worthy to partake of the sacrament
- To-do lists can be accomplished, to-be lists will never be finished.
-"Teaching be will improve behavior more effectively than focusing on do will improve behavior".
-Discipline and disciple come from the same root.
-The greatest opportunity we have to teach and show our children Christlike characteristics is when we discipline them.  Discipline them "by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; by kindness and pure knowledge" (D&C 121:41-42).
-A challenging child should be seen as an opportunity to become more Godlike ourselves.  You probably need this child just as much as this child needs you.
-Condemn the sin and not the sinner.  Make sure your child knows when you discipline them that what they did was wrong and that they are not inherently bad as a person.  Disappointing behavior is "an act, not an identity"
-Be careful with phrases like "you never" or "you always".  When these are used, the person can start to feel like the things that "they always" or "they never" are actually a part of their identity and they will change the person's perceptions of themselves or their self-worth.
-Talk to your children about Christlike attributes and help them identify when they shown any of those attributes.

a. What are the most significant points to you from this talk?  Why?

b. How are doctrines and principles connected to becoming?

c. What do you think requires more effort: do or be?

d. In what ways do college students get caught up in doing rather than becoming? (e.g., school, calling, church, service, career, etc)