I was going to do this post on Thursday so it was a week from my last General Conference post, but I probably won't be able to get to the computer on Thursday so I figured while I was home sick from church, I would post it now. I'm not a lot sick, don't worry. I just have a little cold and Chicklette and Turtle still have some spots from the hand-foot-mouth we picked up so we thought we should keep them home too.
On to our talk for the week. When I was going through the index of the Conference Ensign to pick which talks to focus on, I saw the title of this talk and it really struck me. It is the talk by Elder Scott entitled "For Peace at Home." As you know, we have six kids and some days our home does not feel very peaceful. I don't mean to say that we have a lot of arguing going on, although we do have those days. I mean that there simply is a lot of activity and noise happening at any given moment. As I read the title I also thought about how the world needs peace. We need the inside assurance that all will be well, even if it is not well at the moment. So I decided to put this talk on my list and I've been able to learn from it. And now, I'd like to share what I have learned and what portions of it struck me. He starts out by saying:
On to our talk for the week. When I was going through the index of the Conference Ensign to pick which talks to focus on, I saw the title of this talk and it really struck me. It is the talk by Elder Scott entitled "For Peace at Home." As you know, we have six kids and some days our home does not feel very peaceful. I don't mean to say that we have a lot of arguing going on, although we do have those days. I mean that there simply is a lot of activity and noise happening at any given moment. As I read the title I also thought about how the world needs peace. We need the inside assurance that all will be well, even if it is not well at the moment. So I decided to put this talk on my list and I've been able to learn from it. And now, I'd like to share what I have learned and what portions of it struck me. He starts out by saying:
Many voices from the world in which we live tell us we should live at a frantic pace. There is always more to do and more to accomplish.
How many of us are already thinking, "Yeah, that's me." I keep thinking that I need to get Racer onto a soccer team where he can at least experience the game. And it wouldn't be a bad thing for him to have a little experience with a rec center baseball team too. The three older kids all need to be able to swim. Racer thinks he can, but as my dad says, it's more of a controlled drowning. Chicklette is going to do ballet next school year. Racer will probably be in homeschool P.E. and I hope it won't conflict too badly with anyone's naptime. Then there are all the school things we need to fit in so that they can be well-educated and well-rounded, able to converse with many people and in many situations. If you saw my schedule post, you can see in black, white and blue what I'm talking about. I have another friend with six kids and she has her little girl in cheerleading with another girl coming up pretty soon. Plus her boys all play baseball and soccer. I don't know how she does it. There are always going to be things that I wish my kids could do. Like gymnastics for Sunshine because I'm not sure he's going to grow very tall. Elder Scott continues by saying:
Yet deep inside each of us is a need to have a place of refuge where peace and serenity prevail, a place where we can reset, regroup, and reenergize to prepare for future pressures. The ideal place for that peace is within the walls of our own homes, where we have done all we can to make the Lord Jesus Christ the centerpiece.
Oh, yeah. That's right. I need to make my home a place to come back to, where we can be accepted and loved unconditionally and I need to have that home founded on Christ. It won't kill Racer to never play on a soccer team (although it might kill the chicks to never learn how to swim). The most important thing, and one of my homeschool reasons, is to make sure that they come to know the Savior. It is through Christ that they will find true and lasting peace. I don't want religious zealots or people who marginalize others who believe differently; I just want them to love Christ and have a real relationship with Him. In other words, I want them to be better than I am in this aspect.
From Elder Scott's talk, I was able to pull out 5 ways to center our home on Jesus Christ.
Talking about the first point, I liked this quote from Elder Scott's talk:
From Elder Scott's talk, I was able to pull out 5 ways to center our home on Jesus Christ.
- Base every decision on what Christ would have you do. WWJD?
- Use technology wisely.
- Invite the Holy Ghost into our lives.
- Serve others around you.
- Obey the commandments.
Talking about the first point, I liked this quote from Elder Scott's talk:
It is important for parents to teach children to recognize how their actions affect each individual who lives in the home. Children who are made to feel accountable for their actions, whether righteous or otherwise, grow to become trustworthy citizens in the kingdom of God.
And I would add that not only do they become trustworthy citizens in the kingdom of God, but in the earthly kingdoms also. Who wants to be around a child who doesn't think of other people and how their actions affect those around them?
Elder Scott says the essentials of centering a home on the Savior include "daily personal and family prayer, daily personal and family scripture study, and weekly family home evening." I have to confess, I was not excited to do family home evening and it was my husband that pushed me to make a commitment to it. The kids really look forward to it now and we have been very consistent with it. They especially love treat. We do choose to do it on Sundays rather than Mondays because we're not as tired and stressed with running from place to place on Sunday. We also don't feel crunched for time on Sunday. Sometimes on Monday, by the time DH comes home and we have dinner, we only have 20 minutes before we start having children that need to get ready for bed. We do okay with family prayer. It happens, although I don't know how spiritual of an experience it is. We do some scripture reading as a family each night. We should probably start focusing on how to make it more spiritual and relevant to the kids, but at least it does happen. So, we are trying to cover the basics and for the most part we are hitting them. We just need to ramp up our level of involvement in them. Go from praying to talking with our Father in Heaven. Go from reading the scriptures to inviting family members to ponder them and use them in our daily lives. Elder Scott also makes an oblique reference to Alma 37:6 when he says, "Remember: little things lead to big things. . . Simple, consistent, good habits lead to a life full of bountiful blessings."
On to point number two. Use technology wisely. I know I spend too much time on the computer. I told someone the other day that I was afraid my kids would only remember me in front of a computer. Now a lot of the time I spend on the computer is for good things. I plan our homeschool days and weeks on the computer. I do a chore chart to make sure we keep our house sanitary. I talk about General Conference addresses and verbalize what I have learned from them. These are good things. But there can be too much of a good thing. Like brownies. So, I need to evaluate when I am doing something productive and ask myself, "Am I just wasting time or am I actually using the Internet? Can I do this later so that I can spend face to face time with my children and give them my whole attention? Am I serving Facebook or is it serving me?"
Number three - Do all we can to invite the Holy Ghost into our lives. "Acting obediently on those promptings strengthens us even more." I have a hard time with this one because I'm never sure if the Holy Ghost is prompting me or if I'm just making stuff up. My DH is so much better at this principle than I am. I tend to lean on his feelings maybe more than I should. One of the principles of the Church is self-reliance and in this, I am not self-reliant. I'm not exactly sure how to improve on this; I just know I should.
Going on to number four, the principle of service, Elder Scott says:
Elder Scott says the essentials of centering a home on the Savior include "daily personal and family prayer, daily personal and family scripture study, and weekly family home evening." I have to confess, I was not excited to do family home evening and it was my husband that pushed me to make a commitment to it. The kids really look forward to it now and we have been very consistent with it. They especially love treat. We do choose to do it on Sundays rather than Mondays because we're not as tired and stressed with running from place to place on Sunday. We also don't feel crunched for time on Sunday. Sometimes on Monday, by the time DH comes home and we have dinner, we only have 20 minutes before we start having children that need to get ready for bed. We do okay with family prayer. It happens, although I don't know how spiritual of an experience it is. We do some scripture reading as a family each night. We should probably start focusing on how to make it more spiritual and relevant to the kids, but at least it does happen. So, we are trying to cover the basics and for the most part we are hitting them. We just need to ramp up our level of involvement in them. Go from praying to talking with our Father in Heaven. Go from reading the scriptures to inviting family members to ponder them and use them in our daily lives. Elder Scott also makes an oblique reference to Alma 37:6 when he says, "Remember: little things lead to big things. . . Simple, consistent, good habits lead to a life full of bountiful blessings."
On to point number two. Use technology wisely. I know I spend too much time on the computer. I told someone the other day that I was afraid my kids would only remember me in front of a computer. Now a lot of the time I spend on the computer is for good things. I plan our homeschool days and weeks on the computer. I do a chore chart to make sure we keep our house sanitary. I talk about General Conference addresses and verbalize what I have learned from them. These are good things. But there can be too much of a good thing. Like brownies. So, I need to evaluate when I am doing something productive and ask myself, "Am I just wasting time or am I actually using the Internet? Can I do this later so that I can spend face to face time with my children and give them my whole attention? Am I serving Facebook or is it serving me?"
Number three - Do all we can to invite the Holy Ghost into our lives. "Acting obediently on those promptings strengthens us even more." I have a hard time with this one because I'm never sure if the Holy Ghost is prompting me or if I'm just making stuff up. My DH is so much better at this principle than I am. I tend to lean on his feelings maybe more than I should. One of the principles of the Church is self-reliance and in this, I am not self-reliant. I'm not exactly sure how to improve on this; I just know I should.
Going on to number four, the principle of service, Elder Scott says:
Greater peace will come as you couple your efforts to be obedient with serving those around you.
Service is so important. The Savior was the perfect example of service. He served when he was tired and when it was hard and inconvenient. Even when He had retreated to the mountains for some alone time (Matt. 14:13-14), the people found Him and He taught them and healed them. If I want to become like the Savior and like our Father, I must capture the spirit of service. I must find the joy and the satisfaction in it. Luckily for me, I have many people that I can practice service on. As I've said before though, I need to go outside my comfort zone and be willing to serve those outside my home as well. Elder Scott says:
Selfishness is the root of great evil. The antidote for that evil is exemplified in the life of the Savior. He shows us how to focus our lives outward in unselfish service to others.
As we move on to number 5 - Obey the commandments - Elder Scott ties a few of his themes together. He says:
When we obey the commandments of the Lord and serve His children unselfishly, the natural consequence is power from God—power to do more than we can do by ourselves. Our insights, our talents, our abilities are expanded because we receive strength and power from the Lord. His power is a fundamental component to establishing a home filled with peace.
I love how he ties obedience to commandments, service and obedience to the voice of the Holy Ghost all together. It reminds me that all principles of the Gospel should work together. One component of the gospel, one action in the way we live is not more important than knowing Christ is the Savior and depending on His grace. All the parts of the gospel are necessary to work together and make us more than we are now. I also love how we have a promise that if we obey the commandments and learn the principle of service through action, we will have power from God. How often I have wished for a sure witness of how to deal with a particular child or situation. How often I have prayed fervently for more patience with a particular trait that a child is displaying. Elder Scott promises if we obey the commandments we will have power to do more than we can do by ourselves. He reminds us though that:
We need not worry if we can’t simultaneously do all of the things that the Lord has counseled us to do. He has spoken of a time and a season for all things.
I often worry that I use this principle now as an excuse. I have little babies so I can't attend the temple. I can't find a babysitter for this many kids so I can't work at DI or volunteer places that I would like to volunteer. But Elder Scott has the answer for me. He says:
In response to our sincere prayers for guidance, He will direct us in what should be emphasized at each phase of our life. We can learn, grow, and become like Him one consistent step at a time.
So if I sincerely pray and expect to get an answer, I will know what I can and cannot do and what I should focus on. Maybe it really isn't my season in life to do much volunteering outside the home, but the Lord may lead me to another opportunity where I can support others and make a difference.
One of the other quotes I like was:
One of the other quotes I like was:
One of the greatest blessings we can offer to the world is the power of a Christ-centered home where the gospel is taught, covenants are kept, and love abounds.
I like the idea that by doing well in my job, being a mother, I can help to influence the world for good. I often feel like I can't make a difference in the world, but if we can all improve our little corner of the world, we can have many beautiful corners of the world. I also like how Elder Scott took his principle of centering our home on Christ and expanded it to the world.
So now I have 5 ways to make sure my home is a Christ-centered home and I've identified a few ways that I can improve my home. I just need to make sure I implement them.
So now I have 5 ways to make sure my home is a Christ-centered home and I've identified a few ways that I can improve my home. I just need to make sure I implement them.