May
25
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Recently, it seems my mind has been opened, and I’ve felt new needs. Today was no exception. We got on the topic of dedicating our homes.
I quickly picked up on that and it occurred to me, that even though we’d been in our home for nearly 2 years I don’t think it’s ever been dedicated. It may have been blessed by my wife’s father, but I had not taken up the yoke of my Priesthood responsibility to do so. Like I said, recently things have changed for me, call it a spiritual awakening, or a spiritual maturity - either way I feel very strongly that our home needs a change.
I love it [The Gospel], and let me put it in context of why I’m saying it right now. Our home has some issues - I mean that in our family. There’s something missing, and I think it goes along with how we treat each other and, well, the lack of family unity we experience occasionally. If I notice this, then I know my wife’s felt it a lot longer. But I believe this is why I picked up on the idea of dedicating our home so quickly. I knew I wanted to do it and I felt like it would actually be a great topic to write about too.
So I do what I always do when I want to talk about something, I visit lds.org and see what has been written on the subject. I did a simple search, “dedicate our home”.
The dedication of our home brought about a change of heart in our family.1
That was the first line of the first item listed in the return of my search. Could it be any more connected, or in tune? I know that was a long way round in explaining one of the reasons I love the Gospel, but I just wanted to express it.
I’m actually glad that I ran across this article. It sums up exactly how I feel about what a home should be. The couple who wrote the article give a perfect example (which is one of my reasons too.)
We wanted to have the Spirit of God dwell in our home to help us shape the lives of our daughters.2
Of course for us, it’s not all daughters but sons and daughter and so the level of craziness can get high pretty fast. But this is something I want my family to have. I want a sanctuary, a “sacred edifice where the Holy Spirit may reside” 3.
The couple who wrote the article weren’t aware that you could dedicate your home. I feel that if we [men] take up the call and magnify our Priesthood that this is just one more piece to having a more spiritual family, and bringing our families closer to Christ. Not to mention all the side effects this can have that we might not even think of.
We discussed as a family that my wife and I thought it to be a great idea and something that we needed to do to help our family. We also explained that we would take the opportunity to straighten the house and perform it in the morning. I’m rather excited to be able to share my faith and testimony with my children so they can see how personal the Priesthood can be and how it can be applied to their lives. As my boys grow and gain the Priesthood themselves I want them to know how to magnify it, and my daughter should expect her spouse to be an active magnifier (is that a word?).
I’ll take just a quick moment to express my testimony that the strength of a family spiritually is so important in these days, to be a stronghold against the coming storms. It’s so important to keep active in building up the family and dedicate it [the family] to the Lord, so that His strength and Spirit is an active part of it.
- Bless This House - Ensign 1989 ↩
- Bless This House - Ensign 1989 ↩
- Melchizedek Priesthood Handbook ↩
Last 5 posts by Helaman
- Personal Revelation or making a tough decision easy with the Lord - July 18th, 2008
- The 4th Of July - July 3rd, 2008
- LDS = Politically Dormant or are we just not listening? - June 9th, 2008
- The growing spiritual void - June 3rd, 2008
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I hope that you home will be a refuge for you and your family.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot too lately, Helaman. We have blessed our current home, and are moving to Ohio the beginning of August. I have been thinking about where we’ll live and how to have the Spirit there. It’s been interesting trying to find a nice house to live in from so far away. I just hope the Spirit leads me to the right house at the right time.. well I’m sure it will.. I guess I should say I hope I listen.. LOL.
I think this post is what brought to mind homes that I have known of through the years where there was peace felt for those within the walls. One home was of a family of members of one of my wards(branch?) in my mission. As a missionary, I was in a lot of homes of both members and nonmembers. I remember feeling the Holy Spirit so strongly as I was in their home with my companion for what was probably a dinner appointment with them or one of their nearby relatives. I remarked how I would love to teach a family in their home.
I also recall someone speaking of when their home was for sale. Someone had a very good feeling in their home and made a comment about whether that would come with the home. They replied that was not really something that could be transfered as it was from their family. I would think that another family could live worthy for such blessings as this member family did. However, the peace could depart if they did not live accordingly after moving in. They were a very neat family.
I also had a friend who liked to go to her parents home from time to time as it was very peaceful.
I do think that it is so important to pay attention to our langague, media, and how we treat each other. Of course, none of are perfect. I think that the Lord can bless us when we make a real effort.