In his talk, "A Home Where the Spirit of the Lord Dwells.", President Eyring emphasizes the importance of creating a spiritual environment in our homes so we can protect and increase feelings of love. He said, “You will find some of your greatest joys in your efforts to make your home a place of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and a place that is permeated with love, the pure love of Christ.”
President Eyring warns of tactics that the adversary will use to keep the Spirit from being in our homes. He tells us to watch out for patterns of contention, pride and sin. He points us to the fall of the righteous people of 4 Nephi:
Pride crept in.
The people stopped sharing what they had with each other.
They began to see themselves in classes above or below each other.
They began to diminish in their faith in Jesus Christ.
They began to hate.
They began to commit all kinds of sin.
President Eyring counsels that building faith in Jesus Christ is the key to reversing spiritual decline in our homes. Helaman 5:12 says, 12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
I once heard an analogy comparing plants to our relationship with the Savior. Heliotropism is where some plants and flowers turn toward the sun. As the sun moves across the sky, the plants gradually turn so that they are always facing it.
There are various ways that President Eyring suggests that we, like these plants can always face the Savior, inviting Him into our homes.
1. Gospel Learning: We can use the inspired church curriculum, Come Follow Me. We can follow President Nelson’s counsel and look for references to the Jesus Christ in the scriptures, especially in The Book of Mormon.
2. President Eyring counsels that kneeling together in family prayer can play a crucial part in making homes a sacred place and promises that, “Prayer in the family can reach across the world.” In Alma 19:23 the Lord promises Mosiah that he will be with Ammon according to his father’s faith. We learn that faithful prayer can bless those we love.
3. We may be surprised at how quickly the Spirit will return when we sincerely repent. The Washington D.C. temple was recently renovated and rededicated. The baptistry had to be completely gutted and rebuilt. Like the baptistry, some areas of our lives may need to be changed but with the Savior we can do that and rededicate our lives to God’s work. “Because none of us is perfect and feelings are easily hurt, families can become sacred sanctuaries only as we repent early and sincerely. Parents can set an example. Harsh words or unkind thoughts can be repented of quickly and sincerely. A simple “I am sorry” can heal wounds and invite both forgiveness and love. The Prophet Joseph Smith was a model for us as he dealt with vicious attacks, with traitors, and even with disagreements in his family. He forgave quickly, even though he knew the attacker might attack again. He asked for forgiveness, and he gave it freely.”
4. President Eyring notes that “the temple is the best opportunity to gain a feeling for and a love of heavenly places.” I remember a meaningful experience when my family was visiting temple grounds on a Sunday afternoon a few years ago. When we stood by the doors of the temple, I felt the Spirit in a strong and discernable way. Temples help us feel the love and peace of Jesus Christ that we want in our homes.
President Eyring acknowledged that, “Some have tried with full heart for that blessing of the loving Christ-centered home, yet it has not been granted. He once told an apostle “because of choices some in our extended family had made, I doubted that we could be together in the world to come. The apostle replied, “You are worrying about the wrong problem. You just live worthy of the celestial kingdom, and the family arrangements will be more wonderful than you can imagine.”
Elder Kim B. Clark suggested we ask ourselves two questions.
1. What am I doing that I should stop doing?
2. What am I not doing that I should start doing?
The Lord can lovingly help us establish the kind of lives and homes where we can feel the comfort and peace of the Spirit, a place where we can do His great work. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
