Sister Beck, our General Relief Society President, told us that “women should pattern their homes after the Lord’s house.” What does this mean? And how can we accomplish it?
In the Doctrine and Covenants, section 109, it reads:
Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;
That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord, that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord, that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands unto the Most High…
Let’s begin by just breaking it down into the eight steps listed above.
1. Organize yourselves, prepare every needful thing. In Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) 88:119, these verses are repeated. The footnote for “organize” refers us to search in the topical guide of the LDS scriptures the subject “Family, Managing Finances in.” This verse reminds me of Pharoah’s dream which Joseph interpreted to show Pharaoh what he needed to do during Egypt’s 7 years of plenty to prepare for the 7 years of famine.
Our prophet counsels us to have 72 hour kits prepared for emergencies, a 3 month supply of food and other items that we would need to survive and, where possible a 12 month supply. We are advised to stay out of debt and to have a savings of several months worth of income to sustain us in case of unforeseen circumstances. It’s the whole idea of working through the summer so that we can play in the winter. Being prepared gives us a measure of peace and comfort when hard times arise. Sometimes it can be overwhelming. At least for me, just trudging through my day to day responsibilities is almost too much. But there are some great ideas here on LDSblogs.com that can help us get started taking the little steps we need to do to be prepared. And if doing it all seems just a bit too much, just remember that being prepared for some things is better than being prepared for nothing.
2. Establish a house, even a house of prayer. When I think of this line, I imagine all the formal prayers that should be going on in our homes. Imagine that you and all the members of your family are having morning and evening personal prayers, then you and your spouse are having a couple’s prayer once or twice daily. And let’s not forget family prayer morning and night. Then there are the blessings on the food for three meals a day. In addition to that, there are special times of prayer such as to open and close Family Home Evening or a family council, before a priesthood blessing, or just because a child had a nightmare. And then there are the informal prayers. Singing hymns can be a prayer. In D&C 25:12, the Lord says that the song of the righteous is a prayer unto him. Alma(34:27) tells us that when we are not formally praying, “let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.”
3. A house of fasting. Members of the Church usually join together in fasting on the first Sunday of the month. But to me, establishing a house of fasting might require more effort than that. We should not be afraid to fast at other times when we feel that we need to seek a particular blessing for ourselves or others. The Law of the Fast also includes donating money for the poor and needy. I’m sure that there are times throughout the day when we can set aside our personal comforts and conveniences to serve others and bless their lives through our sacrifice. What is our attitude about fasting? Is it something that we dread or cut short or dismiss as unimportant? Or do we love and look forward to fasting? Is it a sacrifice that we are happy to make, a cross that we willfully carry in order to make us more like the Savior? What and how are we teaching our children about fasting? We, as a people, are entitled to much more of the fullness of the Spirit of God and I think we need that Spirit in our homes. But it will require this effort from us, to give up the things of the physical world for two meals that we might enjoy the benefits of added peace and love in our homes.
4. A house of faith. I envision a house where the gospel is taught and discussed. It is a house where the teachings of the Savior are a normal part of every day life and behavior and not just relegated to the Sabbath. This type of house would be full of people trying to improve themselves by acting on what they know to be right, thus exercising that faith. And if someone’s faith falters, it’s the type of home where the family would give loving support and quiet prayers on their behalf. It would be a happy home where no matter life’s circumstances, there would be joy and peace because of the firm assurance in their hearts that Jesus had overcome the world and redeemed them.
5. A house of learning. This type of house would include learning things of the spirit as well as learning about the physical world. It begins with the woman learning all she can about those things that interest her. We know that as women we should further our education. It is a life long endeavor. How and what we choose to learn will be different for each of us and we may all take different paths. But we need to seek out knowledge “by study and also by faith” (D&C 109:7) and learn “of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms— That ye may be prepared in all things…” (D&C 88:79,80).
But creating a house of learning doesn’t stop with us. How can we encourage and support our husbands? The more they learn, it will not only enrich them personally but help them to better be able to support their families.
And creating a house of learning is so important for children. It might begin with something as simple as stimulating their curiosity and trying to always to take the time to answer their questions with an appropriate answer. It might involve having them take formal classes or just providing them with books to read about their favorite topics. I think a wonderful way to create a house of learning is to work on family projects together—something fun that you can teach them yourself or that you can all learn together.
6. A house of glory. What exactly is glory? I think it is resplendent beauty and magnificence. Glory is the adoration and praise and thanksgiving we show to God. So a house of glory and he is good. But I don’t think that it necessarily needs to be a beautiful home by the world’s standard. The world would have us think that to be glorious, our home must be palatial. Christ himself had neither “form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). So I would think that a house of glory is more a humble home that is made beautiful by the righteous people who live there and the work that occurs within its walls.
7. A house of order. I think this type of house would not necessarily be constantly immaculate. But it would be a house where each member of the family knows their responsibility and participates willingly in maintaining a functioning home. It would be a neat and tidy place, free from as much filth and unnecessary clutter as possible. It would be a place where beleaguered family members could come to relax and find peace.
8. A house of God. A house of God is a temple. It is the place where heaven and earth meet, a place of such cleanliness and purity that God can dwell there for a time. In the Bible Dictionary, we read that “only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.” If we can follow the above 7 steps, I have no doubt that we will have succeeded in creating a house of God and our incomings and our outgoings will be in the name of the Lord.
