The Relief Society has been established by our Heavenly Father to organize, teach and inspire His daughters and prepare them for the blessings of eternal life by helping them increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and home, and seek out and help those in need. If you are like me, you need a little boost by the end of the week, a little spiritual lift to help us through the next week.
Never at any time in the history of the world have we needed stronger families and stronger homes. It is out of the homes and families that the next generation comes. Our homes can be a refuge in a world of evil influences. Every home, large or small can be a "house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God" (D&C 88:19) Whether married or single, old or young, we all have a duty to defend and practice the truths found in "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" . And let's not forget the scriptures which are at our fingertips. We should be reading the instructions given to us every day as my son Cameron taught last night at Family Home Evening.
I was given this quote to read in Relief Society, although they ran out of time and I didn't get to read it. I really liked it and wanted to share it here:
" It is the parents' duty to intervene when they see wrong choices being made. That doesn't mean parents take from children the precious gift of agency. Because agency is a God-given gift, ultimately the choice of what they will do, how they will behave, and what they will believe will always be theirs. But as parents we need to make sure they understand appropriate behavior and the consequences to them if they pursue their wrongful course. Remember, there is no such thing as unlawful censorship in the home. Movies, magazines, television, videos, the Internet, and other media are there as guests and should only be welcomed when they are appropriate for family enjoyment. make your home a haven of peace and righteousness. Don't allow evil influences to contaminate your own special spiritual environment. Be kind, thoughtful, gentle and considerate in what you say and how you treat each other. Then family goals based on gospel standards will make it easier to make good decisions. (M. Russell Ballard in Apr. 1999 General Conference report.)
I liked this because yes, we are in charge of what comes into our homes, not our children or anyone else for that matters. Hopefully, your children will appreciate what you are trying to do by separating the world from what is right.
The lesson was on Improving Our Lives. There were 4 areas in which was taught we could improve.
1.) Our relationship with Jesus Christ 2.) Ourselves Why? Because if we can't take care of ourselves how do we expect to take care of others. We need to give time for ourselves, to take care of ourselves, to do things that will help us be healthy and bring us happiness. We serve others better when we are happy, but also we are happier when we give service. 3.) Our Families. This is a gift to have children and should bring us the most joy than any other job in the world. We should help our families by setting the good example, reading scriptures and praying, having Family Home Evenings which are set aside as a teaching moment for our families on how to live gospel principles but also to have fun doing so. and 4.) Service --because service brings us and others joy, most of the time, it's our families that we are doing service for and we all know that when you serve your fellowman you are serving God. As they pointed out each of these categories actually intertwine with each other.
It was a good lesson and a good reminder that we need to evaluate and to improve our lives often. When we improve ourselves we are in fact strengthening our families and our homes.
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