What does the Lord want? How would the Lord want me to handle this situation? There will be conflict in our lives and especially in our families. There will be many times when we have to make important decisions together. When this happens, we should turn to the Lord rather than do what we want and what we think we should do.
The general authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are great examples of how we can truly invite in the Spirit of the Lord in our lives to make decisions. I think we can all have a similar counsels, but in our homes. The prophet, his counselors, and the 12 apostles have a set apart time to have their meetings every week. They meet in the temple on Thursday. We too can strive to have a set time every week to meet together as a family. We are then able to prepare for that time.
The men always make decisions according to the Lord's will. They start by arriving about 30 minutes early to their meetings to express love and appreciation. This helps them to feel more comfortable with each other knowing each person is important and loved. Elder M. Russell Ballard said, "Leadership based on love brings incredible power. It is real, and it
generates lasting results in the lives of our Father’s children."
Next, they begin with an opening prayer to invite the Spirit into their meeting. They invite the Lord to be there with them. They seek revelation. They have a desire to have the Spirit.
They then discuss different topics and they make decisions based on the Spirit. They discuss to consensus. They all come together depending on the Lord's will. They discuss and the Spirit confirms. Sometimes they learn patience as they wait on the Lord's timing. They find what is right, they do not just want to win. They truly learn to align their plan with the Lord's plan. Some topics are a challenge, yet an opportunity.
They end with a prayer and then refreshments. They thank the Lord for his help and they ask for a confirmation about the items that were discussed. They have refreshments. These men have an opportunity to share something together.
We can have similar counsels in our home. We can strive to have them regularly. You can work through problems and conflict as you love and communicate. Rely on the Lord. I know it will be a blessing in your life as you strive to make decisions for your family with the Lord's help.
I loved learning about the counsel method! I find that it has so much power as it is a very selfless approach. What aspect of the method do you find most important? How can you implement the method into your life while you are at school? As the counsel method teaches us to discuss to consensus, we must have others and the Lord in mind. As we are at a time in our lives where it is quite common to be somewhat self absorbed, how can we seek to be most selfless?
ReplyDelete