In church today the Primary children
(now ages 3-11 or 12) gave us a musical program based upon the First Presidency
message given 25 years ago, titled "The Family A Proclamation to the World." (See a copy of
the Proclamation here) I
was so touched! The children were so genuine and beautiful. The testimonies
given were inspiring, real, and true. I really felt The Holy Spirit during that
program, testifying to me that the Proclamation WAS inspired by God, and shows clearly much of God's plan for each of us in our lives.
When the Proclamation to the Family came out my husband and I had been married for about 5 years, I was greatly stressed and confused (up to that point), not knowing what God expected from each of us individually concerning our family. I had a habit of taking on too much, and shortly before the Proclamation came out I remember hearing for the first time the lines from a song "Which part is mine? Which part is yours?" and sobbing... I felt I didn't know which part was mine, my husbands, or the Lords...
As I heard this proclamation for the first time these questions were answered and a new vision of what our family could look like gradually emerged with each careful study of the Proclamation... replacing confusion and overwhelming stress with clarity and direction.
This Proclamation has been one of the greatest blessings and sources of direction for our family. If balancing family life is a struggle in any way, I strongly encourage you to read and study it!
When the Proclamation to the Family came out my husband and I had been married for about 5 years, I was greatly stressed and confused (up to that point), not knowing what God expected from each of us individually concerning our family. I had a habit of taking on too much, and shortly before the Proclamation came out I remember hearing for the first time the lines from a song "Which part is mine? Which part is yours?" and sobbing... I felt I didn't know which part was mine, my husbands, or the Lords...
As I heard this proclamation for the first time these questions were answered and a new vision of what our family could look like gradually emerged with each careful study of the Proclamation... replacing confusion and overwhelming stress with clarity and direction.
This Proclamation has been one of the greatest blessings and sources of direction for our family. If balancing family life is a struggle in any way, I strongly encourage you to read and study it!
Now - back to the Primary Program and other thoughts... :)
I think the thing that hit me the most came to my heart and mind as the children sang... I looked out - in awe over how beautiful they were - in voices and in appearance. And the beautiful thought came to mind that these children were created in the image of God, and their parents - and I marveled that it was SO EASY to look at each child individually, and to instantly know by looking at them who their parents were...
I think the thing that hit me the most came to my heart and mind as the children sang... I looked out - in awe over how beautiful they were - in voices and in appearance. And the beautiful thought came to mind that these children were created in the image of God, and their parents - and I marveled that it was SO EASY to look at each child individually, and to instantly know by looking at them who their parents were...
Then I wondered if our actions might perhaps affect how we appear
spiritually, in such a way
as to cause others to look at us and they INSTANTLY KNOW, just by our
countenances, that we are children of our
Father in Heaven and true followers of His Son, Jesus Christ... (I realize that may sound silly :o), but it made me
want to REALLY STRIVE to be more like Him... :)
The
program was a spiritual feast, and later this week I hope to get a hold of a
typed print of the local Primary Program I witnessed today so I can share it
with you!
But for
now, I would like to copy and paste some of the writings and thoughts I reviewed this morning before
church as I contemplated my life and how I should be spending my time... This is part of my effort to make it
a top priority to remember and put first in my life God's Plan for Me.
(By the way... One of the things I LOVE
about my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints IS the DESIRE - ACTIVE CHURCH WORSHIP INSTILLS IN ME - TO
CONSTANTLY REEXAMINE MY LIFE TO FIND WAYS TO IMPROVE MYSELF AND BECOME MORE
LIKE MY SAVIOR. :))... I have a lot of notes; you may want to look to the bold first to decide what is worth your time to read...
*See my Patriarchal Blessing to remember God's plan for me
personally...
*Help my Father in Heaven with His Mission
- Come unto Christ - LOVE CHRIST - Learn of Christ's life and gospel teachings and strive to LIVE as He commands and to LOVE OTHERS as He loves us - SERVE - Make and Keep Sacred COVENANTS with the Lord - Prepare as much as possible to be able to be self sufficient...
- Proclaim the Gospel - Teach the gospel to others / be a missionary / be an example for good / be a light to the world
- Redeem the Dead - Find my ancestors (genealogy), and go to the temple to serve them------------------
“God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future—to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities… God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.” Jeffrey R. Holland
"Along with free-agency, we have
the ability/power to do many good things without having to be told to do these good
things. We have the power to dream, think, plan, create, and make good things
happen. (See Doctrine and Covenants 58:28)
-------------
LDS.org (click link below for
entire article)
"True
happiness comes from following
Christ’s example and developing Christlike attributes such as obedience,
goodness, honesty, gratitude, humility, love, charity, and forgiveness. It
comes from serving others and
helping them to follow Jesus Christ. It comes from controlling the appetites of our
human bodies and following the promptings of the
Spirit. It comes from working
hard and having a healthy lifestyle, friends, family,
and personal achievements.
-----------------
Another old blog post of mine... (see the link below for the entire
writing)
"First, His plans are all very small and simple, so simple one would never expect life to be so sweet as a result of such simple acts. My plans for myself are often overwhelming and big, but God knows that "by small and simple means are great things brought to pass."
"Second, I noticed that His plans for me
have one goal - to make me happy... This is why
his plan for us is often called The Plan of Happiness, also
known as The Plan of Salvation.
-----------------------
BY
ELDER STANLEY
"For example, God has a plan for prayer—He asks us to “pray always” (see 3 Nephi 18:15–20). 2 Nephi 32:8), but God’s plan is
that we pray always.
God has
a plan for scripture reading—we
need to study the scriptures every day. As Nephi said,
“Feast upon the words of Christ” (2 Nephi 32:3)."
"God
has a plan for family home
evening—through His prophets, He encourages us to hold family home evening each week (see 3 Nephi 18:21; Mosiah 1:4; 4:14–15)."
"The
Lord has a plan for worshiping
Him—we are spiritually strengthened as we attend our meetings every Sunday. The effort to attend weekly is part of the
sacrifice the Lord expects of us (see Mosiah 13:16–19; 18:25; D&C 59:9)."
"One
of the main reasons we attend church each week is to partake of the sacrament. The
Savior instituted the sacrament in both the Old and New Worlds (see Luke 22:19–20; 3 Nephi 18:1–11), and He explained the role the
sacrament plays in our remembering
Him so that we can have His Spirit to be with us (see 3 Nephi 18:7, 11). As we partake of the sacrament
each week, we renew our
covenants. It is part of His plan."
"God
has a plan for service—each of us needs
to serve in the Church and do our best to magnify our callings. The Church of Jesus Christ is not a church of
spectators; it is a church of workers. We may not enjoy certain callings, we
may feel incapable, or we may think we have done our part and deserve a rest.
But God’s plan is that we serve Him by serving others (see Mosiah 2:17). As we serve Him, we
come to know Him (see Mosiah 5:13)."
"The
Lord has a plan for tithing—each
of us is expected to pay a full tithing. We
live in difficult times, and some of us are having a hard time financially. We
may think that paying tithing would be easier if we were better off, but God’s
plan is that each of us be a full-tithe payer regardless of our circumstances
(see 3 Nephi 24:10). By paying our tithing, we give the
Lord an opportunity to bless us materially and strengthen us spiritually."
"God
has a plan for fast offerings—each month we have an opportunity to fast and donate a
fast offering to help the poor (see Mosiah 4:26). This wonderful plan blesses the needy as
well as those who fast and make an offering. It is so much better than all of
the world’s plans.
"God
has a plan for missions—every able young man should serve a mission. Some young
men do not want to work that hard or would rather get married, go to college,
get a job, or do nothing. But God’s plan is that every young man who is
physically and mentally capable prepare himself to serve a mission. Many young
women choose to serve also."
"God
has a plan for marriage—after a mission, the next step is temple marriage. Some young
people don’t feel ready for the responsibility of marriage, or they think they
cannot get married because they don’t have a house or a car or a job or a
degree. Remember that Nephi was living in a tent and was no longer enjoying his
family’s former wealth when the Lord sent him and his brothers back to
Jerusalem so that they could take the daughters of Ishmael to wife (see
1 Nephi 2:4; 7:1–5; 16:7)."
1 Nephi 2:4; 7:1–5; 16:7)."
"Some
young people prefer to just “hang out” and stay single. There are other plans,
but God’s plan is that marriage follow missionary service."
"A Plan for Families
"God
has a plan for families—“The family is ordained of
God” and is “central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His
children.”2Children
are a blessing from the Lord. They are a lot of work, but they are worth
it. The Book of Mormon—an account of families, from Lehi’s to Mormon’s—is
replete with examples and teachings for parents and children."
"The
Lord has a plan for the temple—He expects us to worship in the temple regularly. President Howard W. Hunter (1907–1995) urged us to make the
temple the symbol of our membership in the Church.3 He and other
latter-day prophets have counseled us to have a current temple recommend even
if we cannot attend the temple. Sometimes we feel unworthy or don’t have the
means to go to the temple, or we rationalize that we will go tomorrow, next
week, or next month. There are many plans, but the Lord’s plan is that we have
a current temple recommend and use it often.
When the resurrected Savior visited the Nephites, He came to the temple
(see 3 Nephi 11:1–10). We too can feel close to Him in the temple."
"Results of Our
Choice
"What
are the results of our choosing the Lord’s plan? Happiness—here and hereafter.
He promises that we can rise above the poverty around us, enjoy greater health,
repent and be forgiven, find joy in serving, qualify for the companionship of
the Holy Ghost, learn and grow, and enjoy eternal life with an eternal family—a
true “multiplicity of blessings” (D&C 97:25, 28)."
"What
do we receive if we choose Satan’s plan? His lies may give us joy for a season
(see 3 Nephi 27:11), but in the end “he seeketh that
all men might be miserable like unto himself” (2 Nephi 2:27). If we choose his plan or one of the
world’s plans, we have no promise."
"I
testify that the Lord’s plan is better than any other. He knows us, loves us,
and desires to bless and help us. He knows best! God has more than a plan—He has the plan. I
pray that we will choose it."
BY ELDER STANLEY
OK - This is A LOT, I
know... There is so much to share and I LOVE the gospel of Jesus Christ, SO
MUCH! :D Another day... I will share more another day.
Ta ta for now!
Corine :D
PS. Personal Application of the Proclamation and goals...
1.) Focus on the advice in the Family Proclamation to have more wholesome family recreation
2.) Focus on REMEMBERING opportunities for my youth - get my kids to as many spiritually nurturing activities as possible! (Youth Firesides, Especially For Youth etc. - Don't let these activities go by without my children present any more!!!!)
DO YOU HAVE A GOAL IN MIND THAT CAN HELP YOUR FAMILY TO COME CLOSER TO CHRIST? :)
PS. Personal Application of the Proclamation and goals...
1.) Focus on the advice in the Family Proclamation to have more wholesome family recreation
2.) Focus on REMEMBERING opportunities for my youth - get my kids to as many spiritually nurturing activities as possible! (Youth Firesides, Especially For Youth etc. - Don't let these activities go by without my children present any more!!!!)
DO YOU HAVE A GOAL IN MIND THAT CAN HELP YOUR FAMILY TO COME CLOSER TO CHRIST? :)
Beautiful thoughts and insights! I have had many of these same concepts swirling through my mind as of late. I am a newcomer to your blog and look forward to exploring. Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stephani! :) Welcome to my blog and I hope you DO enjoy exploring!
ReplyDelete