Protect the Family

Over the course of the last week, we have studied about the importance of protecting the family. Elder Ballard had some great insight on this topic. In Elder Ballard’s talk, he encouraged us to “speak out and encourage a more uplifting, inspiring and acceptable media.”  I reflected upon the events of recent involving the Duggars (19 Children and Counting) and the Robertson family (Duck Dynasty), reality TV families that portray Christian values on air. People were offended by comments/actions and chose to try to force these families’ shows off of the air because of conservative viewpoints being expressed by members in each of these families. Now I don’t have cable TV and haven’t seen any of the Duggars’ shows, but my understanding is that they are pro-marriage and pro-family. One of the daughters recently married and posted a picture on Instagram. She took some heat for it because it apparently seemed “racy”. So her parents posted a photo of them kissing and asked for others to post pictures of them kissing their spouse. A gay couple posted a picture on their site (I believe it was a facebook page or some sort of social media) and they took the photo down. Because of this, a few were outraged because they felt that the Duggars were discriminating and wanted TLC to take their show off of the air, so they started a petition. The thing that I found interesting is the overwhelming support the Duggars received from other Christians that feel that marriage is between a man and a woman. They too had a petition started to keep them on the air. This petition gained more support than the first. To me it showed that people appreciate the more “uplifting” media, as they are consistent with their morals and values, and want those programs to stay.

As a society, we need to not be afraid to defend marriage according to God’s laws. At the same time, we need to still be loving and tolerant towards those with differing views. Elder Oaks gave a great address about this in 2011.  Oaks described tolerance as “a friendly and fair attitude toward unfamiliar opinions and practices or toward the persons who hold or practice them.” He talked about diversity and how it both enriches and complicates our lives. He also shared three absolute truths that are shared by believers.

1. All persons are brothers and sisters under God, taught within their various religions to love and do good to one another.
2. Living with differences is what the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us we must do.
3. Our tolerance and respect for others and their beliefs does not cause us to abandon our commitment to the truths we understand and the covenants we have made.

As I thought about these things, it made me think and ask where do I stand?  Am I protecting my family from negative views on Christian values and principles?  Am I being an advocate – speaking up when I have the opportunity? Or am I silently just watching things from the sideline?

Love Languages

This has been a fun unit as we’ve had the opportunity to take the Love Language test as well as members of our family and apply/speak their love language. This was a fun activity for my whole family. I’ve noticed since we’ve all taken the test and discussed our results, the members in my family have tried to speak others’ love languages, creating a happier home.

As each family member in our home had a different love language, I don’t think others were aware that their needs weren’t being met to the fullest. As I made a point to give words of encouragement and purchase my son his favorite Jimmy John’s sandwich, he felt love and made comment about it. Quality time was important to my daughter. As extra time was spent with her, one on one, she too appeared to be happier. I made an effort to give my husband physical touch, even if it was just a hug or a squeeze of the hand as I walked by. In turn, they all tried to do acts of service, which is my love language. Something that my husband has been trying to teach them for years. 

The Influence of Media

Elder Bednar said, “I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls. The concerns I raise are not new; they apply equally to other types of media, such as television, movies, and music.” That quote influenced the planning of my media interactions for the past two weeks.

I don’t usually have time for a lot of outside media interactions. If I have cyberspace interactions, it is usually to take care of business, keep in contact with family, and things of that nature. I don’t do gaming and very rarely watch movies or listen to music. As a family, we do on occasion watch TV shows on Netflix or television.  We do make sure that the things we watch are appropriate. I think it’s important for our children to know boundaries of good media, and know when to walk away.

I think by living these principles, it teaches our children that we need to be aware of what we allow ourselves to see and hear. My children have learned to pay attention to lyrics, determining if they are appropriate to listen to or not. We have some pretty good filters in our home that block material from their device screens, but we’ve also talked to them about internet safety.

Elder Richard G. Scott said, “Some bad thoughts come by themselves. Others come because we invite them by what we look at and listen to. Talking about or looking at immodest pictures of a woman’s body can stimulate powerful emotions. It will tempt you to watch improper videocassettes or movies. These things surround you, but you must not participate in them. Work at keeping your thoughts clean by thinking of something good. The mind can think of only one thing at a time. Use that fact to crowd out ugly thoughts. Above all, don’t feed thoughts by reading or watching things that are wrong. If you don’t control your thoughts, Satan will keep tempting you until you eventually act them out.” This is an important truth to remember.  

Finances

This unit we've been studying about family finances. We were asked to create a financial plan, which includes starting/improving a budget and tracking our income/expenses daily. I've had two other classes in the past year (Life Skills and Math) that have required us to do that. Usually when so much emphasis is put on something by the Church, there's a reason for it.

General Relief Society President Julie B. Beck has warned, “When we go into debt, we give away some of our precious, priceless agency and place ourselves in self-imposed servitude. As our freedom is diminished by debt, increasing hopelessness depletes us physically, depresses us mentally, and burdens us spiritually. Our self-image is affected, as well as our relationships with our spouse and children, with our friends and neighbors, and ultimately with the Lord. Becoming self-reliant temporally affects our spiritual self-reliance, and we are going to need to be more temporally self-reliant in the days to come…” (Sister Julie B. Beck, Women’s Conference, 29 April 2010.)

I thought it was interesting that Sister Beck addressed this when talking to the women. I know in my family, I do a majority of the household buying. It's important that there is sufficient funds for the needs of our family. When we purchase frivolous things, the money isn't there for the items that we need or the bills that need to be paid. Having a budget and keeping track of the expenses/income helps me stay more on top of things. 

One of the things that I have done is not shop at Wal*mart. The main reason I started this was because I was irritated by the lack of customer service whenever I was in the store. My husband would always remind me that the employees there don't make very much money, so they don't feel the urgency to get the customers through the lines. But after a while, I noticed that we were spending a lot less. I think the reason was because although I was shopping where items may cost a little  more, I wasn't adding silly things that would tempt me during my usual "one-stop shopping".  If I can't get the item at WinCo, Costco, Target, or Home Depot (or online) - I can live without it! My shopping habits changed when I went to specific stores for the items I needed.

In the One for the Money pamphlet you will find great counsel. I encourage everyone to look through this and really study up on how following these principles can bless your life. I once heard someone compare Dave Ramsey's teachings to the things found within this little booklet.

Same Gender Attraction

I recently read the transcript to an interview Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Lance B. Wickman gave in December 2012, regarding Same Gender Attraction. It can be found here.

This past week a lot has been said in regards to gay marriage. As I've read comment boards, I have seen hatred expressed (both ways), against others with opposing views. As Elder Oaks mentioned, those who disagree with the gay lifestyle are characterized as "narrow-minded, bigoted, and unreasonable." For years, the LGBT has asked for equal marriage rights, and the courts are now going against the voice of the people of many states, and allowing this to happen.

I've seen Facebook posts of friends that are celebrating the news that now the LGBT can finally have what they want and deserve, that there is equality for all! To be honest, I've never had a problem with the LGBT community having the benefits that come along with marriage in regards to decision making on behalf of a loved one, or other things involving financial and tax matters for those involved n committed relationships, things that could be covered under a civil union. The problem I have is that they want it to be called marriage, and to me, marriage should not be redefined.

In the interview mentioned above, Elder Oaks talked about homosexuality, he taught, "homosexuality...is not a noun that describes a condition. It's an adjective that describe feelings or behavior." (9)

Another point that stood out to me as I read the interview is that "same-gender attraction did not exist in the pre-earth life and neither will it exist in the next life. It is a circumstance that for whatever reason or reasons seems to apply right now in mortality, in this nano-second of our eternal existence.(35)" (Wickman, 2012) 

I also loved Elder Oaks statement that "God loves all of His children. He has provided a plan for His children to enjoy the choicest blessings that He has to offer in eternity. Those choicest blessings are associated with marriage between a man and a woman by appropriate priesthood authority to bring together a family unit for creation and happiness in this life and in the life to come."

I really enjoyed reading the inspired words from these two men. I know what they said is true. Although I do not know why people are asked to struggle with same sex attraction, I know that if they are faithful to their covenants that they will have the opportunity to progress in the next life. I hope I don't ever come across as bigoted or hateful. I really do have compassion for people who struggle with this, including many friends. But I also feel frustrated that the will of the people (voters in many states) can be changed on a whim to satisfy the desires of approximately 2% of the population.

Here is another great post on SSA.

Becoming Self-Reliant - Physically

The activity that we had for this unit centered around healthy eating and exercising. The Church has great material that encourages us to be self-reliant by taking care of our physical bodies. The areas covered are:

·         The Word of Wisdom and Physical Health

·         Nutrition and Diet

·         Exercise and Fitness

·         Sleep and Rest

·         Managing Personal Health

The areas that I felt that I needed to focus on were nutrition and diet, exercise and fitness, and sleep and rest. I’ve found that as I work full-time, go to school, and still have other outside obligations that oftentimes my schedule can get too crazy and I don’t take the best care of myself. Sometimes the workload causes me to not be prepared to make my family a good meal and we resort to ordering pizza or having take-out just so they can be fed. It is easy to think that I don’t have time to exercise on top of all of that. Then stay up all night to get assignments done by the deadline. I need to make some changes. The site says, “By maintaining good physical health, we become more self-reliant and are better prepared to progress personally, strengthen the family, and serve in the Church and community.” This is my goal!

Elder M. Russell Ballard quotes Benjamin Franklin in his talk, Becoming Self-Reliant – Spiritually and Physically. According to Franklin, “We stand at the crossroads, each minute, each hour, each day, making choices. We choose the thoughts we allow ourselves to think, the passions we allow ourselves to feel, and the actions we allow ourselves to perform. Each choice is made in the context of whatever value system we’ve selected to govern our lives. In selecting that value system, we are, in a very real way, making the most important choice we will ever make.

Those who believe there is one God who made all things and who governs the world by his Providence will make many choices different from those who do not. Those who hold in reverence that being who gave them life and worship Him through adoration, prayer, and thanksgiving will make many choices different from those who do not. Those who believe that mankind are all of a family and that the most acceptable service of God is doing good to man will make many choices different from those who do not. Those who believe in a future state in which all that is wrong here will be made right will make many choices different from those who do not. Those who subscribe to the morals of Jesus will make many choices different from those who do not.”

I found those words by Franklin so interesting. It’s true, life is about choices. Including what I am going to eat, whether or not I am going to exercise, and when I am going to sleep. What I stuck out the most is the connection that Franklin made to these choices among believers and non-believers. It made me wonder what my choices said about me.