Conference Weekend

We thoroughly enjoyed being able to watch General Conference on TV the weekend before last. It is always a nice break from our normally hectic Sundays to stay at home and enjoy listening to the leaders of the church speak. I absolutely loved all of the talks that I was able to listen to. With three kids running around, some parts generally get missed, but between naps, playing conference bingo with them, and playing our little snack game I was able to hear quite a bit of it. Conference is always a two edged sword for me. On the one hand, I love the sweet spirit that is felt while listening to the talks. On the other hand, I hate even thinking about how much I need to do to improve myself based on what I learned in the talks. There are so many things in my life that I know I need to change. One talk in particular really hit home to me because in it was discussed what our homes should really be like. Elder Gary Stevenson said that we should take a virtual tour of our homes and ask ourselves:

“What do you see, and how do you feel? Is it a place of love, peace, and refuge from the world? Is it clean and orderly? As you walk through the rooms of your home, do you see uplifting images which include appropriate pictures of the temple and the Savior? Is your bedroom or sleeping area a place for personal prayer? Is your gathering area or kitchen a place where food is prepared and enjoyed together, allowing uplifting conversation and family time? Are scriptures found in a room where the family can study, pray, and learn together? Can you find your personal gospel study space? Does the music you hear or the entertainment you see, online or otherwise, offend the Spirit? Is the conversation uplifting and without contention?”

As I asked myself those things, I felt almost overwhelmed at the enormity of the task at hand to create a loving, spiritual, perfect place where my children can learn and grown and reach their full potential. How to do it? Where to even begin? What changes need to made first? Will my home ever be the perfect environment? The answer is no. It never will be. But does it have to be? Perfect, I mean? I think that if I try to tackle each of the areas that need improvement with a sincere heart, then I have to hope that the desired outcome, that my children will grow up to be happy, well adjusted, intelligent, responsible adults, will happen. If I make mistakes in my home, I have to hope that the Lord will step in and help me rectify those mistakes. Because that is the way the atonement works, right? We make mistakes, and through the mercy of the Lord, we can be forgiven, learn from and improve upon those mistaken experiences. So while my home might never be the perfect haven of love, peace, and refuge from the world, I certainly intend to work to make it so and hope that the Lord will take up the slack when at times I stumble and fall.