Prophetic Promises of Family Home Eveningby Candace Salima | More from this Blogger 30 Mar 2006 06:48 PM Family Home Evening was established by Joseph F. Smith in early 1915. Since then Latter-day Saints around the world have held Family Home Evening one night a week, to teach the gospel and strengthen familial bonds. Some find great joy in it, others find it to be a burden. I thought maybe sharing some of the prophetic promises concerning Family Home Evening might help each of us to have a deeper understanding and appreciation for this special night. 1915: "We advise and urge the inauguration of a Home Evening throughout the Church, at which time fathers and mothers may gather their boys and girls about them in the home, and teach them the words of God ... If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase, faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influences and temptations which beset them." The First Presidency (Joseph F. Smith) 1966: "Great blessings come to those who carry out this responsibility. Last year's lessons have brought many families closer to one another, and have brought a great measure of peace and harmony in many homes. We feel to say to you again, with our love and earnest assurances, that the Lord will grant rich blessings to all who will prayerfully and sincerely carry out this program." David O. McKay 1970: "The importance of family unity - love and consideration for one another in the family - cannot be overemphasized. Spiritual solidarity in family relationships is the sure foundation upon which the Church and society itself will flourish. This fact is well known and appreciated by the adversary, and as never before, he is using every clever device, influence, and power within his control to undermine and destroy this eternal institution. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ applied in family relationships will thwart this devilish destructiveness." Joseph Fielding Smith 1971: "Couples whose children are grown can receive strength by setting aside one night a week to be with each other and engage in activities of an eternal importance. Young couples awaiting the joy of their own family can be drawn ever closer together by having regular home evenings. In so doing, they prepare for the great challenges of parenthood." Joseph Fielding Smith 1974: "We cannot impress too much the importance of having family home evenings once a week . . . that you may be rewarded by a fulfillment of the promise that if fathers and mothers will discharge this responsibility, not one in a hundred of your family, as has been said by the leaders who have preceded us, would ever go astray." Spencer W. Kimball To summarize, here are the blessings and requirements. Blessings: Greater blessings will result - Love at home will increase - Obedience to parents will increase - Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth - The youth will gain power to combat the evil influences and temptations which beset them - A greater measure of peace and harmony in the home - Will bring families closer together - Families will be blessed with better feelings between husband and wife and all family members - Couples will receive strength - Not one in a hundred of your family will go astray - Deeply increases personal worth, family unity, and love for our fellow man, and trust in our Heavenly Father. The requirements are simple: Have family home evening - Prayerfully and sincerely carry out this program, and hold quality family home evenings once a week. That doesn't seem so much to ask for so great a reward. Don't you think? Learn more about Candace Salima  Candace E. Salima was born right smack dab in the middle of twelve children. Relevantlds tags User Comments azturboman (21) 31 Mar 2006 02:49 AMAs a child, an admittedly difficult child at that, I found great happiness in the well organized gatherings that my parents would put together for our family. Although I often was a trouble maker and the one responsible for breaking up the spiritual harmony which always can into our home on those nights, I have fond and special memories from those times, and I try to recreate them in my own home now that I am a father. Thank you for reminding us all of the importance of FHE and the rich rewards which are ours by doing this small thing right.  Candace Salima (1604) 31 Mar 2006 01:08 PMI have very fond memories of FHE as a child myself. The most distinct is that each of us would take a turn doing the lesson, the treat and the activity. It made us, as children, feel a very integral process of teaching the family. And I remember those molasses popcorn balls. Wow, did your post bring back a distinct memory. I need to call my mom and learn how to make those! Thanks. Dan Yates (10) 01 Apr 2006 03:52 AMSome of my fondest memories of the time my family was growing up were our family home evenings. The tradition has continuedin all but one of our children's homes now that they're grown and gone. My wife and I still love attending their FHE as grandma and grandpa. Dan Yates Candace Salima (1604) 01 Apr 2006 04:29 PMHow fun must that be -- attending FHE as grandma and grandpa. That will never be a privilege I have, but we do attend as the favored aunty and uncle - that's pretty special too.  LadyElizabeth (290) 07 Apr 2006 05:16 PMFhe -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Candace, It is very important to analyze your aim in what type of FHE you want to have and adapt your FHE to your needs. For example, my parents gathered us ten children together every week to critise us and tell us what we had done wrong that week, then they gave us refreshments and called it FHE. Needless to say, that was not FHE! Everyone left with a bad feeling and family unity wasn't formed. When looking at planning your FHE, whether there are children in the home or not, first consider what you are trying to accomplish by having FHE in the first place. What are your family's specific needs? One of the main goals is to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a manner that can be assimliated on each age level, but it is also important to develop certain family attributes and meet family needs while you are having FHE. These attributes can include: to promote loving, family unity, to increase each family member's self esteem, to bond family members so each of them knows they always have people who will love, support and care for them, not matter what mistakes they may make in life. (They need to learn that they will always have a soft place to fall when the world gives them hard days.) Teach them to care for one another, not just to come to parents for help. Small children can be taught when their sybling has a problem, and asked, "what can we do to help him?" Passing out an odd number of jelly beans, for example, and pointing out that one sister has less than the others, and helping the other children solve the problem by sharing theirs. Including the syblings in problem solving creates an emotional investment for them and increases their love for their syblings and their sense of belonging as a family unit. I did this with my children, and now that some of them are grown, they naturally go to each other for help, (as well as their dad and I) this way I know that when their parents are old or passed on, the kids will all be taking care of each other emotionally, and physically. They are also a close, loving group of syblings from all the help and love they have given each other. They freely sacrifice to share with each other. Values like this can be taught in FHE and will greatly impact a lifetime of relationships. My children learned the Gospel and about their Savior, but they also learned family values that they still retain. For couples without children, I'd apply the same principles: learn the Gospel and promote family unity. My husband and I study and discuss Gospel topics, increasing our understanding of the gospel. We also encourage bonding by experiences that bring us closer, whether that is a quiet evening at home or a night out on the town. We also dicuss how we can meet our extended family's needs, our married children, our grandchildren, etc. We know that their experiences are problems they need to solve for their own spiritual growth, but we discuss what we can do to support and help them while they are going through their trials. We are a soft place for them to fall, and on occassion, some of them have had to move back home with us, while they sort out their finances. These things comprise our FHE when our children are not around. This meets our needs. FHE should be adapted to the needs of each family. It should teach the Gosepl of Jesus Christ and promote family values that will affect their lives and create family traditions for generations to come. These are my thoughts... Lady Elizabeth Candace Salima (1604) 07 Apr 2006 05:57 PMAll great ideas - thank you. I'll certainly take every portion of this comment into account as I plan FHE for my husband and i. Candace Salima (1604) 08 Apr 2006 12:38 PMI found this great quote which I'd like to add to this blog: "I wonder if having unplanned and infrequent family home evenings will be enough to fortify ourselves and our children with sufficient moral strength to meet the complexities of our day. Infrequent family scripture study may be inadequate to arm ourselves and our children with the virtue necessary to withstand the moral decay of the environment in which we live. Where in the world will we learn chastity, integrity, honesty, and basic human decency if not at home? These values will, of course, be reinforced at church, but teaching them in family home evening can be particularly consistent and effective. To combat the world's evil influences, we need the strength that comes from family home evening. . . . "If we go forward with our family home evenings, our homes will be enriched, our wards and branches will grow and prosper, our lives will be purified, and the gates of hell will not prevail against us." James E. Faust Community Tags eternity, FHE, lds, promises, safety Discuss this article
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