Love At Home

Love At Home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=798jWz6vsbw (a touch more upbeat than a sacrament meeting version ;) ) I wanted to focus on Family History and temple covenants. In Joseph Smith--History 1:39, we read of the Angel Moroni's message to Joseph Smith, where he quoted the past prophet, Malachi, saying; "And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming." In a 2015 BYU Women's Conference, Sister Wendy Nelson, wife of President Nelson, gave a talk called, Delighting in Our Covenants. She said, "When we really think about it, our covenants are a gift! A gift from God to get us safely back home to Him! What a gift that is!" ALL of God's children are important to Him and play an important part in His plan. A sister shared with Wendy Nelson how personally connected she felt with Heavenly Father through temple covenants. She said, "To be able to make a covenant with God made me feel as though I matter. I really do have a purpose in the great plan of it all. There's no third party or agent 'signing' on my behalf or the Lord's. The promise, the covenant I make is directly with the Lord!" Not only are all of us, here on the earth important, but all those who have already passed on. And they need us! Sister Nelson said, "As I have immersed myself in family history research, I've felt the unmistakable urgency of those living on the other side of the veil who are desperate to make covenants with God--now!" "I've come to the following conclusion: When it comes to making and keeping covenants with God, nothing is more important! And nothing is more filled with power!" Each of us have our own challenges and obstacles in our lives right now. A large group of women were interviewed before taking on a Family History challenge. They shared all their struggles and challenges they were experiencing including: "stress, anxiety, depression and marital problems"; with causes listed such as: "school, finances, lack of sleep, housework, homework, feelings of failing at everything, and an inability to balance all of their responsibilities". Wow--I'm sure we can all relate to these in some form or other! Sister Nelson said, “As counterintuitive as this may seem, I felt compelled, in a way I could not deny....to offer a 21-day experiment..." You can do this by "..selecting a 21-day period of time to make a sacrifice of time to the Lord, increasing time spent in the temple and doing family history work. “Just as keeping our covenant of sacrifice will bring the power of God to our lives, I’ve learned from covenant women that the power of God also flows to [ALL men and women] when they keep their covenant of service.” Sister Nelson received feedback from many women who took that challenge and the miracles they received, including more peace in their homes, leading to strength in their marriages and families; physical energy and strength, and much more. I think we can all take this 21-Day Challenge from Sister Nelson and see how the Lord asks us to sacrifice what we feel is valuable in the moment for something that is of much more value in the eternal spectrum and even more fulfilling right now. "Turning the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to their children", I feel can be a blessing in our immediate families here and now, as well as to our ancestors. This love is a beautiful blessing in the home. There is beauty all around when there's love at home. I personally have felt blessings when I do family history work. I feel peace and greater love, which gives me more patience and love throughout the days. I feel less stress about the daily tasks, and the load of tedious worries becomes somewhat forgotten. I feel connected to my ancestors and strengthened by them. This helps me feel more able to overcome my personal obstacles. I get to share stories with my children about their 3rd great grandparents who were children like them. I read letters of council they wrote to their own children and find it just what I needed in my own life. “As we keep our covenants, we can ask for angels to help us,” she said. “Literally. … I’m not talking praying for fantasy angels with wings to magically fairy-dust our problems away. I’m not talking about praying to angels. I’m talking about praying to your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, for those on the other side to be dispatched to assist you. Perhaps a loved one or two could be sent to help you with whatever you need.” Sister Nelson. With love, Jillene Smith https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/sister-nelson-challenges-byu-womens-conference-attendees-to-keep-covenants?lang=eng