Lessons in Organization

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“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.” (D&C 88: 119)

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That’s one of my favorite scriptures. I know it’s a lofty goal, to become organized. I also know that people who are highly organized have to work at it. The rest of us, we just struggle with it.

There’s another thing I’d like to emphasize. Some people are very organized with their time and business matters, but what about home and family life? I like the idea of organizing our homes first and then the rest will fall into place. Simply because you’ll already have a pattern to follow, and the way you behave at home should be the same way you behave in the world.

But how do we do it? And which way is the right way? We can follow this idea or that one, but are we on the right track? Elder Nelson has said: “To set our house in an order pleasing to the Lord, we need to do it His way. We are to employ His attributes of ‘righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, [and] meekness.’”

“Parents are to be living examples of ‘kindness, and pure knowledge, which … greatly enlarge the soul.’ Each mother and father should lay aside selfish interests and avoid any thought of hypocrisy, physical force, or evil speaking. Parents soon learn that each child has an inborn yearning to be free. Each individual wants to make his or her own way. No one wants to be restrained, even by a well-intentioned parent. But all of us can cling to the Lord.” Source: here.

We also find this promise in the scriptures: “And now a commandment I give unto you – if you will be delivered you shall set in order your own house.” (D&C 93:41-43)

We shouldn’t forget to teach the principles of obedience, honest work and respect for the laws of the land. When, you say? In my family we’ve successfully used our Family Night times to teach our children. It’s a short time, and it’s well employed.

Do you have any ideas on how you keep your house in order? Please, share with us.

To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Wednesday, 5 January, please click here.