It was wonderful to join together as a stake for a virtual devotional last Sunday. Today, we begin our Five Week Focus that was presented at the devotional. While the spirit will guide us each individually in how to apply these principles in our lives, there is strength in collectively working on them together.
Week #1: Use this time to continue to renovate our lives & homes into sanctuaries of faith and a center of gospel learning and doing.
What a unique time this is! Temporary changes in our normal routines have provided many of us additional time. How can we use that time to renovate our lives and homes? Homes all look very different and no home is perfect. We all have work to do. Some need a fresh coat of paint, some need to knock out a wall or two, and some need a complete remodel.
Stephen W. Owen, former Young Men General President, encourages us, “Regardless of your circumstances, you can make your home the center of gospel learning and living. It simply means taking personal responsibility for your conversion and spiritual growth.”
In order to take responsibility, we need to make regular home inspections to discover things we cannot clearly see. Oftentimes in life, we come to find (through trial or adversity) specific places or spaces in our lives or homes & families that needed greater attention and sometimes necessary repair. We dedicate ourselves to purposeful prayer and scriptures study to make a plan to repair the items discovered from our ‘home inspection’.
Elder David A. Bednar advises us, “Our personal responsibility is to learn what we should learn, to live as we know we should live, and to become who the Master would have us become. And our homes are the ultimate setting for learning, living, and becoming.”
Is our foundation sure and steadfast? An introspective look may reveal some much needed maintenance and renovation work., and that’s ok! Elder Gary E. Stevenson pleads with us as we renovate and fortify, that “during the coming years, may we allow the improvements made to the Salt Lake Temple to move and inspire us, as individuals and families, so that we too—metaphorically—will “be built in a manner that will endure through the millennium.”
As we strive to better ourselves and our homes, the adversary is knocking at our door. Once we have made necessary and foundational repairs rooted in our Faith in Christ, we can then move forward fortifying our lives & homes into peaceful and spirit filled sanctuaries of faith.
Elder Ronald A. Rasband has instructed, “Our homes are fortresses against the evils of the world. In our homes we come unto Christ by learning to follow His commandments, by studying the scriptures and praying together, and by helping one another stay on the covenant path.”
We are not alone as we walk the covenant path. Here are some ideas that some in our Stake have shared for making Home a Center of Gospel Learning:
“Centering our home, for us, has had a lot to do with intentionality. We ask ourselves why we are doing something. Is this activity going to bring us closer as a family or empower us to serve others better? If not, it can drop out of our lives. This practice helps us prioritize, cut out the clutter and focus on what matters most.” – Michelle
“I have really tried to focus on creating a home that is centered on Christ. I feel like as a Mom, that needs to be my main effort. From the artwork to quotes around the house, yummy breakfast and scripture study time and trying to maintain a space where the Spirit can be felt, that goal remains important. One of my favorite things we have done as a family is to memorize The Living Christ during our evening scriptures and prayers. It changed our family. There are many ways to make it fun- especially with littles: put it to music, make a matching game to put sentences together and more!” – Kim Click for printable PDF
“Having a home where you teach the gospel is more than the lessons you formally prepare and teach. It’s in the simple moments, it’s allowing spirituality to enter your daily dialog as a family. When you lose your keys, do you run around frantically searching or do you pray first? When a question is brought up do you turn to YouTube or the scriptures? Leading by example on a regular basis will have a lasting effect on your family and your homes environment.” – Lindsey
We use daily devotionals in our home to set the tone of the day right, first thing. If my husband isn’t here we will call him at work to do the devotionals with us over the phone. Every day is a different theme, and because we do them first thing- they stick with us the rest of the day. – Sarah
“We really try to have our kids be teachers and testifiers in our home. They each take a day of the week to be in charge of scripture study, and they all take turns conducting FHE and teaching the lessons. We also have a family testimony meeting on fast Sunday so we all (8 of us, kids ranging in age from 4 to 16) have the chance to testify and share what special experiences we have had in the last month.” – Ben
“I think of lessons learned in the Book of Mormon. Over and over we are reminded of the traditions of their fathers. Those traditions seemed to be a determining factor in where the hearts of the children ended up. Did they love God? Or did they love the world? As we raised our family we tried to be intentional in our traditions. We made conscious choices about what would bring the spirit into our home, and how we would allow the Spirit to teach our family.” – Lori
The Lord has important lessons for us during this time. What will we see when we look back? There is more for each of us to learn and do. Attached to this page, you will find a journaling questionnaire and prompts to help you and your family reflect on what you have learned. Heavenly Father is watching over us and we can see evidence of His hand as we reflect.
President Russell M. Nelson has promised us that, “as you diligently work to remodel your home into a [sanctuary of faith and] center of gospel learning, over time your Sabbath days will truly be a delight. Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings, and the influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease. Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining.”
What beautiful promises! God has so many wonderful things in store for us. Our hope and prayer is that we can work to lift, sustain, and support each other as we all strive to do these things.
We love you and pray for you all,
The Rocklin Stake Young Women Presidency
