Spiritual Family Rituals

Guest Blogger: Josh Stoddard

I wanted to talk a little about how important a family can be to developing spiritual attributes. I know that many people have complicated family situations and that the types of families vary widely; however, I know that for me personally many of the spiritual habits that I currently have are largely due to my family. These are the spiritual habits that lead to my testimony and currently are helping me in my conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have eternally impacted me for the better.

In my family, we would have to wake up every morning at 6:20, even in the summer, in order to read family scriptures and do family prayer. Although many times I was not very excited to wake up early and I was having more dreams than learning experiences, I came to understand the importance of scripture reading. After many years of doing this, I personally decided to start waking up at 5:50 so I could read the scriptures 30 minutes on my own before I went and read with my family. This is just a small example of how spiritual habits that my mother and father started have continued on into the lives of all their children. There are many more besides reading scriptures such as prayer, regular church attendance and service to others.

I really do love the commandment that the Lord gives in 3 Nephi 18:21 when he says “Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.” I have seen how this promise is true. I have seen my parents, siblings and I all get blessed because of our family prayers. I firmly believe that the prophets of the Book of Mormon followed this council and helped create spiritual habits in their families which affected the lives of their children.

            I also just love how these spiritual habits that we create in the family transcend generations! I really look forward to the day when I can wake up my own kids and read the scriptures with them. Even though there will surely be times when they are cranky and do not get much out of it, just as there was in my own family, I hope that they too can understand the importance of these spiritual habits. I pray that one day I will be able to experience the joy that John refers to when he says “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”