My House is a Sacred Center for Family Life

Chapter 6. This has been such a huge thing for me ever since I moved out on my own, and especially since I've been married. I love being a woman and having this natural intict for making a house a home, I love cleaning and decorating my house in a way that my husband and I are comforitable and can relax in. Something I have noticed is that the way my home looks and feels has such a great impact on my spiritual well-being. When my house is clean and well kept, i want to do something good and productive becasue I feel good about myself and the way I have worked to make my house nice and orderly. I want to read the scriptures and I know that as I do the spirit will want to be there because the order and cleasliness of my home invites it. I've also noticed that as I clean my house and make it look beautiful, im making it a temple where the spirit can reside and where my family can feel Safe. I always felt safe in my house because my family was there but when I progressed the most as an idividual and with my relationships in my family, it was becuase we worked together to make our house a house of order, it ws when I took responsibility for my chores and my family duties, I was apart of something higher, more celestial. I never considered chores and taking care of my sisters celestial but anything that makes your home a place that strengthens your family is nothing short of sacred. "And that this house may be a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of glory and of God, even thy house." --D&C 109:16 "Organize yourself; prepare every needful thing;and establish a house..." --D&C 88:119 "Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion." --D&C 132:8 HOUSE OF LOVE "There is no true home, when love does not abide." President McKay. Love is the most important aspect of creating a sacred home. President Kimball writes that " Great, overwhelming, natural love, as taught by the church in its total program, should be the blessing of the child from conseption to its death." HOUSE OF PRAYER I feel that praying in the home, regularly with the family can not only establish a house of prayer and unity but also strengthen the love between family members. the home is fortified my prayers. I love what president Hinkley says about family prayer "You can do nothing better for your children thanto have them taker thier turn in the family prayer, expressing gratitude for thier blessings." HOUSE OF CHILDREN YEEYAH!! This is going to be Noooo problem for me, even if at the off chance im not able to have children, I know my house will be chalked full of them! I love kids and thier spirits are so amaing, their innocence and connection to the Savior is something that can benifit a home so much! I think thta a family with children in abundance has a deep understanding of selflessness and the importance of caring for siblings and extended family. HOUSE OF SACRIFICE AND SERVICE I feel like I grew up in a house of service. When ever one of use girls was upset or having a bad day his best advice to us was to go a serve someone, and to stop thinking of our own issues and start caring for others. I know that we all learned the power of service and the spirit it brought into our homes first hand becasue of that example. HOUSE OF WORK Ive touched on this in some previous posts but obviously to create anything of worth and lasting value, there has to be work put forth. I know I will love my children unconditionally and what to give them everything but in order to create a house that the Lord can be in, I know that its important that I dont spoil my children by entertaining thier every want and desire, but instead i need to set a pattern of work and service that will underpin thier lives forever. HOUSE OF HAPPINESS Even though we dont have children, this is an aspect of the home has proven to be one of the most sought after in our home. I think there are a few different kinds of happiness. One of them being the immeadiate happiness, brought to the home by money, surfaced comments and relationship growth through material goods and shallow means of enjoyment. And then there is the happiness that comes through genuine service and thoughtfulness, the happiness that comes from the knowlegde of a bigger picture and the desire to grow towards eternal salvation. THATS is the happiness I want in my home. HOUSE OF LEARNING The Lord said, " seek ye out the best books words of wisdom;seek learning even by studying and also by faith." --D&C88:118 I want my home to be a place where my children can be taught the word of God, our most essential textbook in the schooling of life is the Bible and the Book of Mormon. president Kimball incourages parents to make thier homes an atmosphere of learning and expose your children to the great minds, the great truths and the great ideas of the world. HOUSE OF ORDER There are many ways to order our houses. To organize, to oder family members, to order disipline but the most important of these is the order that we have to establish with the commandments and principles. We must have standards and an order to the gospel in our homes. Another aspect of order is cleasliness and productivity. We are warned that uncleanliness and slothfulness detures the spirit and the ability to feel that in the home. HOUSE OF PURITY, RESPECT, and REVERENCE I can remember times in my home when reverent was the best description word, but its hard with big families, it takes commitment from each family member to respect the spirituality of the family. I think it takes a great deal of sacrifice and love for each member of the family. I want my home to be a safe place of revence, respect, love, service, purity, learning, work, happiness and order. I know that through applying the gospel principles and teaching them to my children this is attainable. I feel like im preparing for my family even now with the way I decorate and furbish my home with love and learning. I try to display pictures of the prophet, of the temple, of Christ and of the church principles all about the house. I want it to be a constant reminder that those in this house understand thier duties in the family and as members of the church, I hope I can find new was to pracice these principles and make them a prelevant strong part of my family and home as a heaven on earth for my husband and children.