Shielding and Protecting

Elder F. Burton Howard in 2003 uttered these tender words: "If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently.  You shield it and protect it.  You never abuse it.  You don't expose it to the elements.  You don't make it common or ordinary.  If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new.  It becomes special because you have made it so, and it grows more beautiful and precious as time goes by," (Successful Marriages and Families, p. 35).

http://www.cpteller.org/family-development-services/family-hands/

While Elder Howard is referring to eternal marriage, his words easily apply to the family unit as well.  So from what should we be shielding and protecting our marriage and family?  Sometimes it's difficult to see evil at first glance.  Sometimes evil things appear good.  Satan is a master at minimizing sin, exaggerating truth, and convincing many to embrace beliefs and mindsets that contradict God's way.  President Ezra Taft Benson, in his First Presidency message entitled "Salvation--A Family Affair," said this about how Satan twists information: "Innocent-sounding phrases are now used to give approval to sinful practices.  Thus, the term "alternative lifestyle" is used to justify adultery and homosexuality, "freedom of choice" to justify abortion, "meaningful relationship" and "self-fulfillment" to justify sex outside of marriage."  

Gerald N. Lund furthered this point in his talk "Countering Korihor's Philosophy" when he said this: "Today, the world is permeated with philosophies similar to those taught by Korihor.  We read them in books, see them championed in the movies and on television, and hear them taught in classrooms and sometimes in the churches of our time."  

What amazes me is that this was written twenty-seven years ago when many of today's concerns were either non-existent or only barely surfacing.  While I'm sure these statements applied then, they 100% apply today.  I can think of three extreme yet accurate examples happening right here in California.  First, the California public school sex-ed program currently being implemented which teaches kindergarteners about gender identity and teenagers how to use sex toys.  Second, California's teen health law which denies parents full access to their 12-year-old's (and up) medical records.  While they won't come out and say it, the purpose of this law is to allow young teens access to birth control and worse, abortions, without parents' knowledge.  And third, LGBTQ rights and misconceptions being presented inaccurately.  It makes me sick to see such perversion infecting our society.  Satan is hard at work, but Elder Lund later stated in the same article, "No matter how clever, how sophisticated the philosophies of an antiChrist may seem, they are not true."

And speaking of what is and isn't true, Elder Lund also mentions empiricism as it relates to seeking truth.  Using one's personal senses has become a common approach to seeking truth.  Is seems what one "feels" at any given time holds more power and validity than physical evidence itself!  We are so concerned with being sensitive to others' feelings that we sometimes overlook actual truth in favor of appeasing, in many cases, the minority.  This is one of Satan's tactics and we are seeing it more than ever today.

President Benson also said this: "If we continue with present trends, we can expect to have more emotionally disturbed young people, more divorce, more depression, and more suicide."

So how can we combat these and other practices which interrupt and confuse the flow and structure of family life?  President Benson generously outlined three fundamentals to happy, enduring family relationships.

1) Attain righteous unity and oneness in goals, desires, and actions.
Parents who love each other and both demonstrate and express it for their children to see create a home atmosphere that is warm and stable.  Ways to demonstrate and express love include practicing restraint and self-control, bridling tongues and passions, serving God and one another, and maintaining regular prayer in the home.  As we've previously discussed, there is true power in prayer.  It can add strength to these other actions, soften hearts, enhance patience and understanding, and unify families.

2) Nurture children with love and the admonition of the Lord.
Not only should parents frequently express their love for each other, but they should express it to their children as well.  Children need to feel loved and wanted and telling and showing them this truth regularly is crucial to their growth and well-being.  One important aspect of nurturing is teaching.  Children who know their identity in a spiritual sense, who know they have a loving Heavenly Father who they lived with long ago and will live with again someday is a wonderful starting point.  Parents should teach these principles early and often.  They should also teach children how to pray and why we do it, and they should teach the value of work.  As mentioned in a previous post, honest hard work helps one develop character, discipline, and good habits, and build bonds with family members with whom they work.  One last way parents can nurture their children is by ensuring quality time is spent together.  Weekly family home evenings and frequent activities entailing recreation, work, games, cooking and eating, and valuable discussions will help build a foundation for a happy strong family.

3) Prepare children for the ordinances of the gospel.

Parents should work to instill in their children a desire covenant-making and eternal life.  This can happen effectively when the parents themselves value and comply with the ordinances they've made.  Example is everything.

Shielding and protecting families is not easy in this day and age, but with these tools it is possible!