Class member: This is something I have talked to my husband about. We are working at becoming a closer knit family. Everyone is on electronics. I brought it up to being electronic free for the day. My oldest is 13 and youngest is 5. Last Sunday I worked on Personal Progress and Faith in God with my oldest. We tried to keep it fun and light and played games with the kids. I was so happy he was on board and willing to be on the same page as I was. We baked cookies and went and “boo-ed” people in our ward. I had given a lesson on the Sabbath Day a few months ago and it made me reflect then, but then you taught it. The week has gone a little better.
It’s amazing! If you keep the Sabbath day holy the rest of the week goes better.
Class member: Are you going to keep doing that?
Class member: My husband is starting military school so I will be doing all of it so yes we will keep doing it.
Remember we asked 2 questions. What is the sign between you and me? What sign did you give (non-verbal) to the Lord. We talked about Larry Lawrence’s talk about what’s hindering me from keeping the Sabbath Day Holy.
Class member: The next morning we did couple scripture study on the Sabbath. We refocused on a different subject that morning. We pulled out all the same scriptures. We went to Deuteronomy and we discussed different signs. There is a scripture that came to my mind. Matthew 25:10-11 (Ten virgins) “Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not” How come he didn’t know them? We decided that we needed to make a video on Sunday to send to a family overseas. It will be interesting this Sunday to see what the Lord tells us to do.
There is a difference between “knowing about him” and “knowing him”.
Class member: We were in Utah visiting family. We visited my husbands ward. We have gotten in a habit of only going just to Sacrament Meeting. It was a big “ah ha” that church is a social thing. Our kids didn’t want to stay because they didn’t know anyone.
How many adults go for the same reason? This is where last week’s lesson was simply an invitation to ponder where you are and getting a vision of a different purpose of what the Sabbath is for. Everyone is going to be somewhere different. The Lord just wants us to keep moving. We can’t move if we don’t know where we are at. It was a wake up call for me too.
Class member: We had a service project going on in our ward. We took that home and made Christmas Cards to missionaries for them. We tend to have the TV on with football. We are always together and playing as a family, but then when you talk about what are we doing? Are we just being lazy? It made me look at what we were doing. I said maybe we could just pick one game and then have the rest of the time. I saw it as slowly changing instead of wiping the slate clean. We took it as what are we doing within the walls of our home. We decided to make some changes.
Invitation…If you truly want to change it, a little at a time, or a whole new picture, and you have children or a spouse the first thing you do with your spouse is talk about it. Kids need the same thing. You need to start a new process or habit or vision with a FHE. Read the scriptures from Isaiah. Read the conference talks. Get a picture of what the Lord wants us to do on His day.
The scripture that impacted me the most was the Isaiah one. My key is “Is it something I want to do or something I want to do for the Lord?” Present your family with the principles and then let them decide what that means to us. Don’t present the list. Present the doctrine. Ask…What kinds of activities would help us meet the doctrine? They will gain a testimony of it because it’s internal not external. They have input into it. It’s hard when you want to change direction in your family.
Class member: I always feel like I get to be home with my kids. I am with my kids all the time and sometimes I need a break. I like the thought of spending time with just chatting with my kids. It was to be given the gift of time. We don’t give ourselves permission to sit down and play with our kids often.
Class member: You have used the word cooperation a lot. I realized that I may be the one not cooperating well. I have a strong personality. We have been married for 14 years he was like let’s read the scriptures every night. I made it miserable on him. He did it for the first 2 years of our marriage and I won. I quit doing it. My husband tried to be the priesthood leader and I squashed it. He started it back up. It just took me saying “I’m sorry.” My kids love it. We have 2 that can read and one that can’t. They love to read the scriptures. They are begging to read more. It’s been amazing this last week. Bedtime is pushed back later. They have their own scriptures. They are highlighting stuff.
You have a special husband. Because most men would say “Forget it! You had your chance. I’m impressed with your humility. Congratulations.
Class member: We do really well on the Sabbath. Part of it is just our stage in life and where we live. First thing in the morning the YW lead the music and the YM are doing the sacrament at the assisted living. After we are doing home teaching and my girls are working on Personal Progress and Faith in God. Our one that when you taught us was the one thing you didn’t want to give up. We are never together in the evenings. We do scriptures in the morning. So Sunday night we watch “Once Upon A Time” We love it. It is something we can do together. Sunday I went out with my husband my kids watched it while I went on visits with my husband. We decided we need to have a FHE lesson on it. We have that one blaring thing. It will be interesting when we talk to see what they think we should do better. I think we can always do a little bit better. For us we do things out of duty, not because we are giving the Lord that day. Instead of “I want to give you this day.” We need some attitude readjustments for the motivation of why we are doing it.
The purpose of what we do is to come to know and experience the Lord. That’s the difference between the list of right things and using the Sabbath in the Lord’s way. That’s the “Why”. That’s also where the power is. Why are we doing it? Does your activity bring you to know the Lord? That needs to be the heart of your prayers and your intent.
What are your favorite sins you don’t want to give up? Everyone has their favorite sins. Does that affect self-discipline in other areas of my life. Who governs…the flesh or the spirit?