Going along with the importance of family prayer is the importance and healing power of prayer in a marriage.
President Monson says, "May I offer newlyweds a formula which will ensure that any disagreement you may have will last no longer than one day? Every night kneel by the side of your bed....I can assure you that any misunderstanding that develops during the day will vanish as you pray. You simply can't pray together and retain any but the best of feelings toward one another."
"A key aspect of coming to view a relationship as sacred is to first include God as an active member of the relationship" (Lambert, 196).
Prayer is the means by which individuals may invite God to play an active role in their relationship." (Lambert). In marriage, there is a triangle when God is included and is at the apex of the triangle. When two people individually strive to become closer to God, they will automatically become closer to each other.
Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith and prayer.
"Praying together as a family and reading the scriptures... together is probably the best thing we do to pull us toward Heavenly Father and each other."
It is said that the family that prays together stays together. From the earliest time of my ventures in motherhood, I have depended on the Lord in prayer to help and guide me. They are his children, after all.
"There's something that....when as a family your hearts are pointed together toward the same thing, and it's God, then parenting and economics and space and food and disagreements and hassles and joys and celebration and all that other stuff..it works different, it seems different, it feels different."
The extent to which husbands and wives participate in religious practices together and hold similar believes is one of the stronger predictors of the quality of marriage.
Prayer heals relationships, unites families and helps us drawer nearer to Christ.
By loving behavior of parents, children learn to understand the nature of God. If a child grows up having a loving father, it is easier for them to understand God and who he is.
By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness, and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.
I was blessed to be raised by a wonderful father. He was a single dad for a while and he was a very nurturing guy. He recently married his high school sweetheart and continues to be a strong influence in the lives of his children.
I would also not be complete without talking about and praising the father of my children. Though his parenting may not be perfect (whose is?), but he has been a stellar provider and a stable force in the lives of my children. He has always been first (or maybe second) in line to play and help his children.
Fathers play an important role in a child's life. "Involved fathers bless children from the time of birth onward." "Fathers are directed to take upon themselves the responsibility of spiritual leadership in family life as part of a loving Eternal Father's plan for family functioning." "To father a child is to accept a divine calling, a moral stewardship, and a lasting commitment across generations." Praise should be given to fathers.
Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God, and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.
The First Presidency has issued the call to parents "to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles which will keep them close to the church. The home is the basis of a righteous life, and no other instrumentality can take its place or fulfill its essential functions in carrying forward this God-given responsibility."
These truly are some of my favorite people. I love the fruit that has come from hard work and intentional parenting, though extremely flawed.
The work of parenting is hard and not without a great deal of heartache at times, but this will truly be the most important work we will ever do.
Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.
There has never been a bigger blessing in my life than that of being a mother. I dreamed of it all my life, and knew I would be PERFECT at it. I would be so kind, thoughtful, generous, let them do whatever they wanted, I would be the "cool" mom, never get mad at them, read to them, play with them, never mind that I would cook delicious food, they would ALWAYS want to talk to me, I would teach them EVERYTHING they could ever need to know, including the gospel. They would never talk back...because they wouldn't need or want to. THEN.... I had a baby :) Who knew that this would be such challenging work? Heavenly Father knew.
This message from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland is such a valuable lesson. It is easy to get bogged down with some of the seemingly trivial things about motherhood, but we need to remember we are doing the best of the Lord's work.
James R. Clark said, "Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels." He also stated: "The calling of motherhood has been identified as the most ennobling endowment God could give His daughters..."
Julie B. Beck: "Mothers who Know".
I am so grateful for the gift I have of being a mother. Though harder than anything I have ever done, it is by far the most rewarding and most important.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Marriage is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.
In today's time period, marriage is being delayed. The overall age for marriage has increased, and the percentage of those dating has decreased, preferring more "hanging out" to actual dating. "Many emerging adults believe they will be ready for marriage only when they are finished being single."(Jason S. Carroll). Carroll also points out that "many young people today enter marriage with a built-in escape route that lessens the likelihood that they will stick with a marriage in periods of trouble that are common early in marriage." Marriage is a commandment, and we should live our lives in such a way that we are ready and prepared to embrace it when the opportunity arises. Choosing a marriage partner is not checking off a list of qualities, but rather developing ourselves to be the kind of person we want to be. Jeffrey R. Holland states, "Do you want capability, safety and security in dating and romance, in married life and eternity? Be a true disciple of Jesus. Be a genuine, committed, word-and-deed Latter-Day Saint. Believe that your faith has everything to do with your romance, because it does. You separate dating from discipleship at your peril." While soul mates are FOUND, eternal companions are CHOSEN and MADE.
Carroll says, "The fundamental purposes of this life remain the same as they have always been - to receive a body, to believe in Christ, to progress spiritually, and to form an eternal marriage and family. As today's young adults prepare for eternal marriage, they must have faith that Gdd will help them become ready for marriage, find a wonderful person, and establish a happy family - in His way and in his time."
What a joy it has been to watch my children make these wonderful choices. These two (above) were married 12 years ago and have 5 children The two (below) have been married just over a year. Love both of these additions to my family.
Had to get a picture with the grandkids of my daughter and son-in-law (pictured above).
Extended families should lend support when needed.
One of my favorite roles in life is that of being a grandma. It is the reward for having survived teenagers (though for the most part I got pretty luck there). I was in the delivery room for the birth of my first grandchild and since that time my life has never been the same.
Grandparents were not a huge part of my life, due to family circumstances, and I had always dreamed about the kind of grandma I wanted to be. It has been the best thing ever. I have 8 (almost 9) grandchildren and they are the light of my life. I cherish the relationships I have with them. I (aside from their parents, am their biggest fan. Grandkid soccer games are just as fun, if not more, than my own kids' games were, and you multiply that by ... many... ok, you do the math.
"Grandparents provide valuable support to their adult children and grandchildren. The most common types of support that older parents give are emotional support and advice, and research shows that parents given high levels of both to their adult children. Babysitting grandchildren is another frequent way that grandparents help their adult children"(Richard B. Miller and Jeremy B. Yorgason).
On the flip side of this, we should teach our children to love and care for their grandparents and encourage this relationship.
"We encourage families to give their elderly parents and grandparents the love, care, and attention they deserve. Let us remember the scriptural command that we must care for those of our own house lest we be found 'worse than an infidel' (1 Timothy 5:8) . . . If they become less able to live independently, then family, Church, and community resources may be needed to help them. When the elderly become unable to care for themselves, even with supplemental aid, care can be provided in the home of a family member when possible." SO SINCE I AM SURE MY CHILDREN ARE READING THIS... START GETTING MY BEDROOM READY. :)
My dad has been the constant in my life and an important part of the lives of my children.
(My dad with his new wife... also his high school sweetheart).
It is important that family members work together and support each other.
