Lehi invited Sariah, Sam, and Nephi to come and partake. Note that the righteous were invited first and their place secured. Lehi then invited Laman and Lemuel, but they refused to come. Imagine the personal pain he felt. Did Lehi fail as a parent? The record is clear that he had taught them and showed them how to live, but they exercised their agency to deny themselves the blessings of righteous living. Nevertheless, as a dedicated father, Lehi refused to give up on them. He continued to minister to them and exhorted them “with all the feeling of a tender parent.”
Elder Robert D. Hales taught: “We too must have the faith to teach our children and bid them to keep the commandments. We should not let their choices weaken our faith. Our worthiness will not be measured according to their righteousness. Lehi did not lose the blessing of feasting at the tree of life because Laman and Lemuel refused to partake of its fruit. Sometimes as parents we feel we have failed when our children make mistakes or stray. Parents are never failures when they do their best to love, teach, pray, and care for their children. Their faith, prayers, and efforts will be consecrated to the good of their children.” 16
President Henry B. Eyring observed: “In some cases … parents are desperately trying to bring back some in their family who have wandered. I am confident that there will be, increasingly, a reward given by God for their efforts. Those who never give up will find that God never gave up and that He will help them.” 17