“As I watch so much unrest, anger and even apathy fill the corners of the earth the same four words run on repeat in my mind.
The world needs families. It doesn’t matter what they look like or where they live. It just matters that they are!
Think about the time we spend worrying about things that are temporary. Our clothes, our jobs, our health.
The only thing that lasts is family. In the end, it’s the only thing that matters at all. “
-Ralphie Jacobs
I think it is safe to say that we’ve all been reflecting heavily on ways to make our homes more Christ-centered and how to make a safe, comfortable space for ourselves and our children.
One thing we could use more of in this world is strong family units and homes that have Christ as the focal point.
I’d love to hear ways that you are trying to strengthen your family?
In what ways are you making sincere efforts to serve, love, and connect with the members of your household?
Some of the ways we try to strengthen our little family is by having daily prayers and scripture study. The boys are aware of the routine and will remind me if I forget to read scriptures to them at breakfast.
We also make an effort to have intentional & individualized conversations with each of the boys and each other every day.
We teach the boys what it means to serve others and help them find ways to serve within the home.
I personally try to “choose joy” every single day. I’m not perfect at this, but I’ve found that constantly choosing joy makes even the hardest days not so bad and something good can always be found in each day.
“We might all ask ourselves: do our children receive our best spiritual, intellectual, and creative efforts, or do they receive our leftover time and talents, after we have given our all to our Church calling or professional pursuits?”
-Ted R. Callister
Replace the word, “children” for “spouse” or “family” and ask yourself the same thing. We could all probably do better, myself included. List out your priorities and what your eternal goals are.
Ask yourself, “What destinations truly matter for you & your family and are you spending time, effort and attention on the things that constitute a sure way to get there?”
If your answer is “no” or “I could do better” then I urge you to make a plan on what you can do individually and as a family.
We all have 24 hours in a day and I’m sure we all waste some of those hours doing things that don’t really matter. Making these daily efforts can be difficult at first but just like all things a habit comes from repetition and constant action. Actions take mental and physical effort, and as you push yourself to do better and be better your marriage and family will become stronger.
