I loved the talk given by Elder Bednar in the Saturday Morning session of General Conference. He gave us all three suggestions as to how to be more diligent and concerned at home.
Suggestion Number One: Express Love—and Show It
Here he said, "We should remember that saying “I love you” is only a beginning. We need to say it, we need to mean it, and most importantly we need consistently to show it. We need to both express and demonstrate love."
Today in Relief Society we were studying the Joseph Smith lesson manual on Marriage. It was touched briefly on how we can makes our homes a safe, secure and happy environment. One sister shared that as we encourage, rather than nag, our homes become better places to be. I am guilty too many times of nagging. Often times I am too quick to tell Shon just how busy, stressful and hard my day has been, how much needs to be done, and just what he needs to do. Today I made a commitment to be happier - to set the tone in my home to be peaceful and welcoming. We all are busy, but our attitude makes the difference in that.
Suggestion Number Two: Bear Testimony—and Live It
He said, "We should both create and look for opportunities to bear testimony of gospel truths—and live them." Shon is such a great example to me of this. He is always the one to gather us around to read scriptures each night and then to talk of what we have just read. He likes us each to take a turn to bare testimony of something we know is true. Unfortunately many times I have thought this was silly. I know now that my children see this. I need them to know that I do have a testimony of this gospel and that I am not afraid to share it, even and most especially in the most intimate circumstances. I love that Elder Bednar said that we should create opportunities to bear testimony and live them.
Elder Bednar went on to say, "Feeling the power, the edification, and the constancy of testimony from a spouse, a parent, or a child is a rich blessing. Such testimony fortifies faith and provides direction. Such testimony generates light in a world that grows increasingly dark. Such testimony is the source of an eternal perspective and of enduring peace." Isn't this the goal of everyone of us? By the simple edification of testimony through bearing and living, we are able to accomplish this? What a great promise.
Suggestion Number Three: Be Consistent
Elder Bednar stated, "Sister Bednar and I thought helping our sons understand the content of a particular lesson or a specific scripture was the ultimate outcome. But such a result does not occur each time we study or pray or learn together. The consistency of our intent and work was perhaps the greatest lesson—a lesson we did not fully appreciate at the time."
I have not come to a point in my own families life, that I can look back and see that the consistence made a difference. It is the deepest desire of my heart that some day I will. I can however look back at my own childhood and add my testimony to Elder Bednar's that in my family the consistency did make a difference.
Elder Bednar concluded by saying, "As we seek the Lord’s help and in His strength, we can gradually reduce the disparity between what we say and what we do, between expressing love and consistently showing it, and between bearing testimony and steadfastly living it. We can become more diligent and concerned at home as we are more faithful in learning, living, and loving the restored gospel of Jesus Christ."
I know that as I strive to do these things this week, the Lord will greatly bless my home and my family.
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