Review: "And a Little Child Shall Lead Them"

A Brief Review of "And a Little Child Shall Lead Them"

by Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

"One of the great discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children than we ever did from our parents."

Actively valuing children brings the greatest understanding and happiness in life. That is the message of President Packer's remarks  from the Saturday morning session of conference. He focuses on children to teach difference doctrines: about caring for the poor and homeless, about how little children are alive in Christ, about parents' responsibility for their children, about God's love for us his children, and about the highest importance of the family unit. Packer begins with personal anecdotes about experiences he's had with children of indigent circumstances around the world: Peru, Japan, the US. He presents touching images, images that have meaning not because he paints a sad picture but because he shares his own emotions from those situations, how he felt "helpless", how past experiences caused him to have "groaned within". Thus, Packer uses anecdotes to develop an emotional value for children. 

Packer bolsters this emotional value by referencing the scriptures to speak of their spiritual and doctrinal value: children, "an heritage of the Lord" are "alive in Christ". As he shares these scriptures he relates two stories about the death of a child and the sorrow that overcomes their parents in each case. Having begun to speak about parents, Packer's begins to comment on the role and responsibility of parents and the doctrinal value of a father and mother in a family.

"The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is to see a husband and his wife and their children happy at home, protected by the principles and laws of the gospel, sealed safely in the covenants of the everlasting priesthood. Husbands and wives should understand that their first calling—from which they will never be released—is to one another and then to their children."

While Packer offers these principles without reservation, he also expresses consideration and even appreciation for families that do not follow this explicit pattern. This is because, in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the individual's goal is to strive to develop godly attributes and values. This is what accounts for our coming unto him. Packer's style of discourse represents the overall goal of the gospel to teach individuals to find happiness and peace through the personal realization of Christlike values and attributes. He presents many situations where individuals act in different ways and he generally speaks of the situation without pronouncing final judgments or final readings. Packer uses subtlety. He builds to his point through personal anecdotes. Whereas Monson creates a balanced tone by recognizing the good as well as the bad, Packer's balance comes from his own feelings. In a moment of hope but unexpressed contrition, he states: "I hoped to be judged as good as man as my father." Packer openly speaks of the insecurity he has regarding his righteousness. Packer also let's his audience in on questions he has about his prominent callings in the church. He creates a paradox between the image of his father's inactive attendance and his own very visible service in the church. That Packer's anecdotes--about his father, about the homeless or orphaned children he met--do not express a clear message about how he behaved correctly or better than others in each situation opens up unanswered questions left for the audience to resolve personally. The audience must allow the nagging to persist or do the work to close the thought herself. The individual weighs her own values and experiences against the perceived message of the talk.

Some points in Packer's remarks are direct, as when he references the Savior's own actions and words regarding children in the old and new world. Christ is unequivocal about the value of children. Packer is teaching us that we should remember and hold this same value when we consider the the paradox of his callings and his father's apparent inactivity or when we consider the importance of family time in the context of church responsibilities and church programs.

"Family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected. We urge our members to show devotion to their families."