A friend's post... So good!

For my Family Citizenship Capstone Project I read the book, "Covenant Hearts" by Bruce C. Hafen.  I had read several of his talks and was impressed with their content.  I have a brother who is on the brink of divorce, and this book seemed like it may offer some good suggestions for advice.  I also really enjoy reading books that are designed to strengthen and uplift. 

I highlighted passages from the book that relate to advice for others in yellow, and advice for myself in pink.  I was stunned by the amount of pink in the book as I looked back through the pages after finishing my reading.  The book really does offer good insight and tips on how to improve marriage relationships, as well as things to watch out for. 

Elder Hafen writes about three types of wolves that inevitably come into marriages seeking to wreck them,  "Wolves of adversity", "wolves of personal imperfection", and "wolves of excessive individuality".  The test is to determine if we are shepherds who stay by our flock (spouse and children), or the hireling who will run off and abandon the flock as the wolves emerge.  Elder Hafen shares this insight, “The point is a simple one: Marriage is a partnership of equals whose most essential roles both revolve around the their families. Each of them also strives individually to become a fully rounded disciple of Christ, developing Christian attributes as a complete spiritual being. In that quest, both husband and wife have strong reasons to listen to each other, to follow each other, to discipline themselves so that the voice of each deserves to be heard by the other.” 

He speaks of the difference between a ""contractual" marriage and a "covenant" one.  A covenant marriage is one where we consider our spouse as we do ourselves.  Their problems and troubles  become ours.  We learn compassion as we work on together growing closer to the Lord.  A covenant marriage contemplates the significance of the past and the future of our current family.  In Elder Hafen's words, "We stand clasping the past with one hand and the future with the other.  That perspective helps us desire a marriage that succeeds "for the sake of the children"--not only for the sake of the immediate children but as part of building a multigenerational Zion wherever we live.  Without such an eternal, intergenerational 'welding link', neither we nor our ancestors nor our posterity can be made perfect."

Why I did this blog

The purpose of this blog was to share the LDS church's philosophy on the family as well as to record some of my thoughts and feelings as I have learned and studied more about what we believe as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I feel I have a better understanding and conviction of the truthfulness of the doctrine.  I can defend my beliefs more articulately when I understand them better.  I am hoping that my children will benefit from these entries and from my personal testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The family is ordained of God.  I want my children to know that.  I want them to realize the importance of our family and the eternal nature of the family unit when they make decisions in this life.  I want them to strive to protect our family and their future families against the evils of this world.  Whether it is apathy, criticism, or disobedience to commandments of God, all are destructive to the family and I want them to understand the detrimental effects these things have upon future generations and the very unit we need to protect.  Most of all, I want them to know that I believe in the family unit and have a testimony of the importance of the family in the eternities.  God will not be mocked and when the family is attacked, it is an attack on His plan.  Heaven is organized in family units.   We not only need our families to make it through this life, but it is the very organization of Heaven.

Religious Freedom

I loved Robert D Hales talk "Preserving Agency, Preserving Religious Liberty". 
He said, "As we walk the path of spiritual liberty in these last days, we must understand that the faithful use of our agency depends upon our having religious freedom.  We already know that Satan does not want this freedom to be ours.  He attempted to destroy moral agency in heaven, and now on earth he is fiercely undermining, opposing, and spreading confusion about religious freedom--what it is and why it is essential to our spiritual life and our very salvation."
So many time, people try to intimidate Christian people, whether for our belief that homosexual behavior is wrong or our wearing of our temple garments.  I am grateful for the reminder that we must not give in to the temptation to not defend our religion.  As Robert D Hales says, "...our spiritual life and our very salvation" depends upon it.