Elder Richard G. Maynes noted, “Learning, teaching, and practicing the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our homes helps create a culture where the Spirit can dwell” (Establishing a Christ-Centered Home, April 2011 General Conference).
For the month of February (well, what's left of it) let us focus on making our homes Christ-centered every day. This is going to look different for everyone! When we were growing up, it looked like "Scripture/Prayer" in the morning. (Spouses, you need to ask what this was!) What does it look like in your home now?
When Come, Follow Me was announced in General Conference, I remember turning to Scott and making a comment that was something like, "I don't know what's coming, but we are going to have to worship at home." I should have said something like, "and then a million dollars will fall from the sky..."
If we refer back to Elder Maynes' quote, he refers to creating a culture where the Spirit can dwell. As we have discussed thus far this year, there are many aspects of culture--how can we make sure the Spirit can reside when our home is participating in each aspect?
In the same article Mom referenced from thirdhour.org, it mentions that going from one extreme to the next (in terms of Sunday worship versus everyday life) can actually be confusing to children, and it is actually easier to maintain a higher standard of behavior everyday of the week to make that transition to Sunday worship natural.
Let's start with making sure we are worshipping on Sunday. For us, that looks like going to church every three Sundays and watching from home on the Sundays we don't. It looks like tuning into the Sunday school class or Relief Society meeting broadcast. It looks like making sure Lou is ready for her primary class zoom meeting. Is it hectic even if we don't actually go to the building? Yes! Is it doable? Also, yes!
The last part is making sure we are doing our own third hour study. Below, I have linked options to make this happen--whatever that looks like for you.
This one has lesson plans and activity pages to go with YouTube videos for kids
This one has lessons and videos for adults
How can the principles of the gospel leak into everyday life? Are we praying before every meal, making sure to have our kids participate? Are we stopping to thank our Heavenly Father for little things? Are we referring to our blessings as coming from Heavenly Father? Do you read your scriptures in front of your kids? Do you take them along when you can to do churchy things? Do they know you are going ministering or give a blessing or help someone with sacrament?
Let me share some quick stories from the last two weeks: 1-- Mia was lost for about 2.5 hours a couple weeks ago--she has never run away before so I was unsure if she was going to come home. I was also nervous about the heavy duty machinery in my backyard. About an hour into our search, I stopped and said a prayer out loud in the Jeep in the middle of the neighborhood that we would find her and that she would be safe. Later that night, Mia safe in the backyard, Lou remembered praying to find Mia and on her own, thanked Heavenly Father in her prayer that Mia "is back home now." I am so glad I said that prayer out loud--what an easy way to teach my kids that we can have a Christ-centered life everywhere at any time as is our right as citizens of this country.
2--After Gretta's birthday party, we had way too much food. I didn't want to keep all of it, so I called our Relief Society president to ask if there was anyone in our ward that she knew of that needed a meal that night. She said she didn't think so, but if it was okay, she would love it, as she is now on hour 11 of working on a tech problem with the Philippines and her husband is on a business trip. So, I packaged up all the extra, grabbed Lou, and we took it over. On the way, Lou of course asked where we were going. I told her that when we have an abundance, we share! So, now she has a fun sentence she has been saying all week as she plays kitchen: we share our abundance (which sounds like this: we SHARE our BUN-dance). Again, super easy.
So, where are you going to start this week? What one thing could you do better everyday to make Sundays less of an anomaly?
I am going to move my scriptures from my room out to the living room. Not only should it help me remember to read them more regularly, but I am interested to see what conversations it might start with my precocious three year old.
Brandee Merkley
Impromptu discussions on gospil topic's I feel are the most profound and spiritually enlightening. They can happen anywhere and at any time. Don't ever waist that opportunity. They have had a much larger effect on me than any class or meeting I have ever attended.
ReplyDelete