Faith and Family

A newspaper article by Dr. David Dollahite reminded us of the changes in our marriage and family when we made the decision to become more conscientious and deliberate disciples of Christ. Prior to our baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we would have said we were believers in God. We would have said we were trying to be good people, according to whatever our definition of “good” was at the time. That did not include church attendance, scripture study, or prayer.

Everything changed in 1981 when we made the deliberate commitment to follow Christ. Prayer became part of our individual and family life. So did scripture study, individual and family. So did church attendance. So did discussion of what it meant to be Christ-like. Our service to others increased.

This decision to focus on Christ and include Christ and faith in our family made all the difference in how we related to each other and how we approached life.

How does faith work in a family’s life and why does religion matter?

From Dr. David Dollahite’s research on family life -  “Religion has an impact on all levels, … When problems occur, religion helps resolve those problems…. When a couple has similar religious views they often have a shared purpose, a commitment to permanence, and a greater willingness to forgive.” We certainly found this to be true. When we took a Christ-like and eternal outlook, the irritations and problems didn’t disappear but they were put into an eternal and Christ-oriented perspective.

Prayer also made a huge difference for us as we prayed with and for each other and our family.

“As individuals identify grace and forgiveness from their God, they are likely to do the same for those around them.” Trying to determine what Jesus would do and say makes a big difference for us as we deal with life’s challenges. “What would Jesus do” went from a cliché to a guidepost for our lives.

“Couples who consider God a part of their marriage reported “God an author of the marriage” or “God is present in the marriage” and looked at their relationship as a triad between the couple and God.” It’s not about us individually or even as a couple. It’s about the part we can play in His bigger plan for this world and His children.

Source: Church News November3, 2015