General Conference Talks for Kids: Integrity, A Christlike Attribute

This Family Home Evening lesson will help you and your family study Elder Gerard’s conference talk from April 2024 titled, “Integrity: A Christlike Attribute.” 

So, what is integrity really and how can we teach it to our kids in a way that will sink deep into their hearts?

 

What is the Gospel Definition of Integrity?

When we hear about integrity you may first think of things like being honest, trustworthy, and having a strong moral character. These are true, but Elder Gerard gives a much deeper, gospel-related understanding of this word. He said:

“Jesus Christ is our Exemplar. Living a life of integrity requires us to be true to God, to each other, and to our divine identity. Integrity flows from the first great commandment to love God. Because you love God, you are true to Him at all times. You understand that there is right and wrong and there is absolute truth—God’s truth. Integrity means we do not lower our standards or behavior to impress or to be accepted by others. You “do what is right” and “let the consequence follow.”

I also love our Book of Mormon example this week of the 2,000 Stripling Warriors who were, “true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.” Alma 52:20

 

How Do We Teach Our Children to Have Integrity?

As I have studies Elder Gerard’s talk and other resources he cites, I have had three thoughts about how we can be teaching this “Christlike attribute” to our children:

Teach Them Who They Are

Elder Gerard talks about being true to God and our divine identity. If this is the case, than the first thing we need to do is make sure our children know who they are. They need to KNOW their divine identity as a Child of God.

We can teach them this through our WORDS and our ACTIONS.

• WORDS: We need to tell our kids often they are Children of God. That they have a Father in Heaven and a brother Jesus Christ who love them. Teach them about the Plan of Salvation, Sing, “I am a Child of God to them,” or hang up a poster with the saying.
• ACTIONS: We also need to show our kids who they are. As their earthly parents, we get a small glimpse into their spiritual potential and gifts. We can take time to point out those things so that they can see them too. If you notice your child loves to help others or has a desire to gain knowledge, point out that is a gift they were given from their Father in Heaven. Help your children see the good and God-like characteristics they have as His child.

Teach Them to Keep the Commandments

As Elder Gerard said, “Integrity flows from the first great commandment to love God. Because you love God, you are true to Him at all times. You understand that there is right and wrong and there is absolute truth—God’s truth. Integrity means we do not lower our standards or behavior to impress or to be accepted by others.”

It is so important to teach our kids the commandments, starting with the two greatest commandments to love God and love others (I have another General Conference Talks lesson on this one coming in a few weeks). We also need to teach it in that order! Our love for God comes FIRST, even over our desire to love, please, or impress others.

We can teach them this through our WORDS and our ACTIONS.

• WORDS: This simply comes down to teaching the gospel in our home often. Family scripture study, Family Home Evenings, studying the For the Strength of Young, talking about what they learned at church, and finding those natural teaching opportunities that come up as they are faced with decisions in their life.
• ACTIONS: We need to make sure our children see US loving God and others. As we prioritize our time to include God through our own holy habits, our actions will speak loudly of our love and devotion to following our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We can also serve those around us and speak kindly of others.

Teach Them About Repentance

Despite our kids’ very BEST efforts, they will make mistakes and will sometimes make a choice that does not show their integrity. Elder Gerard said, “A life of integrity is not a life of perfection; it is a life in which we strive every day to foremost be true to God and within that context to be true to others.”

We need to teach our kids about repentance and about their Savior who is eager to forgive and help them come back to the covenant path. There is nothing worse than being stuck in the ugly trap of sin and we need to teach our kids when they are young how to correctly and quickly get out of that through repentance.

• WORDS: We can teach often the steps of repentance and share stories from the scriptures about others who repented. We can paint a picture to them of a loving Savior with open arms who is so happy when they repent and come to Him.
• ACTIONS: We can model repentance for them. How incredibly powerful would it be if next time you made a mistake with a child you came to them to say sorry (please tell me I am not the only parent making mistakes everyday!) That you went even further to explain your process of repentance? “I am so sorry I yelled at you earlier today. I have been feeling so bad about what happened so I prayed to ask Heavenly Father for forgiveness and wanted to also say sorry to you too. I was feeling frustrated and did not handle my emotions well. I love you.” What a powerful example and model we can be to our kids!

 

General Conference Talk for Kids Lesson

Elder Gerard’s talk is a wonderful talk that teaching us how to live a life of Integrity. Grab your copy of the General Conference Lesson below for a great Family Home Evening Lesson this week or Sunday discussion. Let’s start teaching more about Integrity in our home!