“Successful
marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith
[and] prayer.”
We all at times get overwhelmed and burdened by
life’s challenges and experiences. Relationships within the family are tried
and tested as well as individual beliefs. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, gives us
purpose and joy as we lift our eyes from worldly struggles and look to God.
Faith in Christ turns a family toward God in times of trial allowing Him to
heal them and change their nature. It
also brings an eternal perspective.
Ezra Taft Benson said, “When we put God first, all
other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of
the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the
interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities. We should put God ahead
of everyone else in our lives”. Making God our number one priority and focus in
our life allows everything else to fall into place. When we build our home and
our family with God as our foundation, everything therein will thrive, finding
progression and growth. President Howard W. Hunter taught us that “whatever
Jesus lays his hands upon lives. If Jesus lays his hands upon a marriage, it
lives. If he is allowed to lay his hands on the family, it lives”.
Faith is the foundation of belief. It’s the
foundation of all growth. It’s the foundation in which strong relationships are
built (Goddard, 2009) . God can repair homes and families no
matter how deep the tear. When they have gone through great challenges and
disappointments, they can turn to Him and find peace and hope for a better
future. We cannot have great families without Christ’s participation. By
inviting the Savior into our lives and exercising our faith in Him, we can
strengthen our family unit and find eternal happiness which only comes through
Him.
God wants us to have strong relationships in the
family. The best thing we can do to improve our family relationships is to have
faith in God and to love one another. “The best-kept secret in this world is
that troubled, painful relationships can become both satisfying and
growth-promoting as we fill ourselves with faith in God and love for His
purposes” (Goddard, 2009) .
“When we have
vibrant faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we know that the irritations and
challenges of marriage are blessings intended to develop our character…As we
turn from the ways of the natural man to the ways of Christ, we will respond to
our challenges differently. Instead of judging our partner, we will invite
Christ to soften our hearts and fill us with goodness. No challenges or
differences in [the family] can thwart the work of God-given charity” (Goddard, 2009) .
Faith in our Savior Jesus Christ means that we trust
God and His work to rescue our family just as He is working to rescue us.
Having faith means trusting His progress with our family. “The more we trust
God’s purpose in perfecting our [family] (and don’t try to take over the job
ourselves), the more we all progress” (Goddard, 2009) .
I put together some of my favorite pictures of
Christ around The Living Christ and framed it. I made this decoration to bring
the focus of Christ into my home and to remind me to always have faith in Him.
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