Light in the Darkness

The Family A Proclamation to the World

            Spiritual light can cut through the darkness. The Family Proclamation was created for the entire world, not just members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our world is constantly changing through beliefs, values, politics, etc. The Family Proclamation can provide individuals and families with a guide and a standard to follow during these unstable times. I wanted to share The Family Proclamation with others in my blog because I feel it can bring personal strength to families and individuals. I believe it can bring clarity in a world of confusion, I believe it can encourage self-improvement through faith, patience, and love, and I believe we should refer to it as we encounter relevant issues within the world or within our own family.

“President Henry B. Eyring explained that the proclamation provides an eternal perspective to help us understand the value of family relations…Truly, understanding and internalizing the principles in the proclamation changes our perspective, our goals, and our entire approach to family life.” Happiness is centered on the family. Family is the fundamental unit of society. Eternal, to me, means something that lasts forever. We can have eternal marriages and eternal families! Romance, love, marriage, and parenthood are all eternal family anchors. They bring us happiness. The adversary disrupts these eternal family anchors. That is why I encourage you to read and understand the many principles found in The Family Proclamation, to protect and defend your family from the adversary.

One section of The Family Proclamation that my family memorized and has put into action is in the seventh paragraph. “Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.”

Faith: My family has faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have a testimony of the importance of putting our complete trust in God. We know that He will always be with us even through difficult times of trial.

Prayer: We have family prayer every morning and evening as a family. We pray for our family members, friends, and those in need during difficult times. Prayer is how we communicate with God.

Repentance: Everyone makes mistakes! Sometimes those we love, our family, can offend or hurt us. It is important that family members acknowledge their faults and correct any wrongdoings.

Forgiveness: If we want to be forgiven by others it is important that we also forgive. Our home has less contention and more friendship when we choose to forgive each other. In our home we teach about the importance of forgiving everyone.

Respect: Everyone was created differently for a specific and divine purpose. Differences are good and can even be complimentary. That is why we try to practice respect for differences within our family.

Love: Within our family we try to show our love for each other in many ways through our words, actions, and deeds.

Compassion: Compassion means having a kind heart towards others. As we are considerate to our family members we are able to better help them.

Work: As a family we enjoy working together. I want to teach my children of the importance, fulfillment, and success work can bring. I know I can only do this by working alongside them and my husband.

Wholesome Recreational Activities: My family really enjoys the outdoors. We enjoy camping, fishing, and hiking together. These activities help unite our family.

 

These principles have almost become our family “rules.”  We live by these principles and incorporate them into our daily lives. These principles make our family life better and help us focus on what matters most. While there is confusion, change, turmoil and darkness within the world today, let us all have light and happiness within our homes and families by following the principles and teachings of The Family Proclamation to the World.