What do you want for your children?
Usually this is pretty easily answered. We want them to be happy, confident, successful, treated well, kind, have a strong testimony, know God. So are you these things? Are you happy, confident, successful, treated well, kind to others, deeply connected to God and feeling His love daily?
We know it is our responsibility to exemplify and teach these things to our children but the reality is we can’t give them what we don’t have. Think about that statement for a minute
Intellectually we know this. “Of course” you may be thinking, yet if we are honest we admit this is exactly what we are trying to do. Everyday women seek my advice for how they can help their struggling child, their emotionally disconnected husband, how to have joy and love in their homes and everyday these same women tell me things like:
“I know God is there but I can’t seem to feel Him very well.”
“I try and try but I just don’t know how to be happy.”
“I keep trying to be a better mom but I’m overwhelmed and resentful.”
“I’m just staying married to create stability for the kids.”
Or even statements like “I’ve just decided that happiness is not for me but I’ll make sure everything is great for my kids” or
“I’m scared the Atonement and joy are really just for everyone else.”
When these women come to me about how to help their children or spouse, how to create a happy family, how to save a struggling loved one and the answer is always the same…learn it for yourself first. Once we learn how to connect with God, how to deeply feel His love, how to be joyful and filled with peace ONLY THEN can we share it with our loved ones.
Sometimes what I hear women say is “It’s not really that bad. I’m not very happy and there’s strain in my marriage or parenting, but I’m sure we’ll be fine. I have faith.” And they continue to ignore it. Then they are not sure what happened when a few months or years later their family is worse off than ever or even falling apart. This attitude falls under the category of we cannot change what we won’t first acknowledge. We start with being honest about where we are and what’s going on in ourselves and our homes. Then we use our faith to ask God to show us what to do about it and begin learning it for ourselves.
It’s like saying I want my child to have a burning testimony but not having one ourselves. It just doesn’t make any sense. But if we develop a burning testimony we automatically share it with our child in everything we do. It’s the same for anything we want for them. If we want our child to have a loving marriage we get to figure out how and model it for them. If we want them to have financial security we get to learn and apply financial truths. If we want them to know God we get to know Him and share His love with them and let them see the joy and peace truly knowing Him brings.
What do you dream of for your children? Where do you want them to be five, ten or twenty years from now? I suggest you get that for yourself now so you can show them how!
Are you ready to be happy? Do you desire more love and connection in your home? I teach women how to be happy themselves; how to get their hearts, relationships and lives in order so they can share it with their families and live with peace and joy! Work with me. You can do this, you can live joyfully in every area of your life, it’s who you were created to be!
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