Christ as our Focus

Recently I read a talk on lds.org that gave me hope and an increased perspective on fighting for our families here on Earth. The talk is called "Protection from Pornography -- a Christ-Focused Home" by Linda S. Reeves. Although she placed her focus on pornography, she spoke in general terms of creating a safe place for our families to feel the spirit and be strengthened against temptation. 

These are some of my favorite quotes from her talk: 

"Brothers and sisters, how do we protect our children and youth? Filters are useful tools, but the greatest filter in the world, the only one that will ultimately work, is the personal internal filter that comes from a deep and abiding testimony of our Heavenly Father’s love and our Savior’s atoning sacrifice for each one of us.

How do we lead our children to deep conversion and to access our Savior’s Atonement? I love the prophet Nephi’s declaration of what his people did to fortify the youth of his day: “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, [and] we prophesy of Christ … that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”4

How can we do this in our homes? Some of you have heard me tell how overwhelmed my husband, Mel, and I felt as the parents of four young children. As we faced the challenges of parenting and keeping up with the demands of life, we were desperate for help. We prayed and pleaded to know what to do. The answer that came was clear: “It is OK if the house is a mess and the children are still in their pajamas and some responsibilities are left undone. The only things that really need to be accomplished in the home are daily scripture study and prayer and weekly family home evening.”

We were trying to do these things, but they were not always the priority and, amidst the chaos, were sometimes neglected. We changed our focus and tried not to worry about the less-important things. Our focus became to talk, rejoice, preach, and testify of Christ by striving to daily pray and study the scriptures and have weekly family home evening."

My husband and I don't have any children yet, but we are already seeing how busy life can be and how business makes us distracted from what is truly important. Like Sister Reeves said, the best way to strengthen our families is not necessarily a spotless home and our to-do list completed. We can best strengthen our families by talking of Christ and serving Him. I find that when my husband and I have deep conversations about the gospel, we are blessed in so many ways in our marriage. Our home is nicer to be in, and we recognize our blessings more easily. Praying together is also a way we strengthen each other and our marriage as a unit. When we kneel down hand-in-hand at the end of the day, we are expressing gratitude, and petitioning for help in the very cause of strengthening our home. 

Whether it be pornography, or some other temptation/difficulty that comes upon our homes, we can live the best we can, and ask for the Lord's help in all that we do.