What Happens when Tomorrow Comes?

In the year 1995 there was a General Relief Society Meeting, and in that meeting a very important proclamation was shared with the sisters all around the world. The Family: A proclamation to the World was shared by Gordon B. Hinckley. Some may think that he was the one that made it up, but it just isn’t true. He is a prophet of the Lord and he was fulfilling a duty to our world by sharing with us what the Lord told him.  At the time, the family wasn’t as corrupt as it seems to be now. At that time we were not bombarded in everything we see, touch, smell, and hear. So why was it given then and not now. 

Well I personally believe that it is because we were being told of future events. We were already starting along that path and we were ready for a major fall on the roller coaster we were riding. It has happened. No one wants a family any more. It is all about “me” now and “what can I get out of this.” I will be honest, if I didn’t have the unique perspective that I do have, then I would wonder why families are so important too.

 I would love to have the best job in the world that included fame and fortune. I would love to only have to worry about myself. I would love to only live in the here and now, and not have a single care in the world for tomorrow. 

But what happens when tomorrow does come? 

I will be honest. I had a rebellious stage that started right out of high school. I babysat all the time while in high school and even though I loved the kids, I still hated doing it. I wanted to be more than just a baby sitter. I had family that was in very bad relationships with their spouses, and kids who were so demanding. All I saw with families who had children was pain. I would ask them “is it worth it?” And they would look at me with this questioning look and basically tell me “what do you think?” Well I thought it wasn’t worth it. My thoughts on children were : you have a painful labor, to only be stuck with a baby that screams at you, then tells you no all the time, then grows up to be a snotty little teenage that thinks they are “god’s gift to the earth.” And then leaves you only to never come back. I saw a lot of work with no reward. 

I didn’t want it, it wasn’t for me. 

So I went out and sought out life the way that I wanted my life to be. I wanted to go into advertising, and design magazines in New York. I wanted to stay out partying all night and have a cushy job with lots of benefits. (Dreaming, I know) But while I was following this self made path, things happened along the way that started to change my perspective on life. I was in college and there were no kids around. I actually started to miss them. (What!!!!) I started feeling empty inside. I started to see that when I only focused on me, that I wasn’t happy, but when I started to focus on others I felt happy inside. (again, What!!! That makes no since at all) 

I started to change. I started letting the Lord take the reins of my life.  I started feeling happy. I was happy all along, but this was a different happy. This was a deeper happy. This was a lasting happy.

Soon I met my husband and we got pregnant right away. 

Well 3 months after we were married. To some that is right away, but to us we still had 3 months of just us! I knew then that it was worth it. My first little one was a struggle. I had to have a c-section, which I never in a million years wanted. And when he came into this world I was completely determined that I would nurse him. But he didn’t want to nurse. It was a two hour struggle (each time) with him screaming the entire time which would end with me crying and basically everyone was in a bad mood. 

But even then it was totally worth it. 

Anyone who has seen a baby knows and can feel how special they are. Babies have the ability to cheer up a room when they are little newborns. It was a complete life changing, messy hair, pj wearing bliss. Within 5 years of marriage we had 4 beautiful children. Nothing at all of what I thought my life would be like. 

But when I think about what my life would  have been if I had done what I wanted to do, would I be happy, would I have actually gotten what I wanted, would I be happy with what I ended up with? I personally don’t think I would have. I may have had the perfect job, and the perfect clothes, and the perfect hair, and I may have been completely content with my life. But I think I would be left wanting more. Nothing in this life can fulfill what is right in the sight of God. 

So what does this have to do with the Family Proclamation? I will let you figure that one out. And if you can’t find a correlation then we will keep moving forward until you do!!! 

Life is forever changing. We have been given a guidebook on how to live it to the best of our ability. This proclamation is a part of that guide book. It is special. It is unique. It is from the Lord. And I don’t know about you, but when I have a way to put on protectors while in a bull fight I want those protectors on. This is our way. I want my children to have those same protectors on, because all too soon they will be left to their own defenses.  

  I want them to know what is right and what is wrong. I want them to have deep down peace and happiness. That is why I have been teaching them this proclamation. I want them to know the truths in a world where bad is good and good is bad. I want them to see beyond the here and now and have an eternal perspective. I want them to see what they can have in this life and the next. I want them to be a rock when others are water and moving this way and that because of some unknown force. I want them to know what is going on. I want them to be armed and ready. 

So why not teach them when they are young. 

I love my family. I know you love your family. And whether you are a Latter Day Saint or not this proclamation can help you and your families grow together and become unstoppable. 

Families are important.

 If we look back at Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 they wanted to do away with marriage. They made it impossible to have a good functioning family. Can you guess what happened? It was devastating. Devastating not only for men and women, but for also children, and not only them but it was destroying their nation. But thankfully they woke up before the damage was too bad and in less than two decades they were able to change the laws once again, but this time in support of marriage and families.

 Is America falling into this trap? 

Is the world falling into this trap? 

Are we destroying marriage and families without seeing the real consequences of our actions?

Pope John Paul II said: “ As the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.”  He has a profound statement there. 

Why are we not listening to it? 

When I was just out of High School I wanted to be selfish. There are no excuses; selfish is the only word to describe my attitude.  Thankfully I was able to grow out of it. But now it is time for us all to grow out of it. We need to stop being selfish and start looking towards the future. We need to stop only caring about ourselves and start caring about the whole of society. It is time we rise up and take responsibility of or actions and raise an even stronger generation for our children. It is time for us to be the parents that our children need us to be. It is time for us to be faithful to the ones we chose to spend the rest of our lives with. It is time to start a healthy happy family. 

No more excuses!

And what better way to start then to learn and ponder and study the Family Proclamation…

Oh look, here is a copy of that right now! (no more excuses!)