FAMILY COUNCILS
This week we learned about a topic
that I am passionate about. We read a chapter in the book titled Counseling with our Councils which was
written by M. Russell Ballard on how to hold a council. We read about how the
leaders of our church hold councils and I think it’s a good pattern that we can
use for our own families. The pattern that the church leaders follow is working
from an agenda, expressing love and concern for one another, having an opening
prayer, addressing items on the agenda, allowing each member to speak, coming
to a consensus, and closing with prayer. This pattern is inspired and as we use
it in our own homes, we will begin to see the blessings that can come from
that. The Lord will be able to guide our decisions and we will grow closer as a
family.
A few semesters ago, I was able to
take another class that talked about marriage and we read several chapters from
this book. When we read this, along with other chapters about the council
method, we were encouraged to hold our own family council. We had to follow
this pattern exactly and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. Since I
was living in Rexburg, I held my family council over skype with my parents. My
other two siblings had already moved out and so we were just a family of three.
We began by expressing love for each other and each person was able to give and
receive compliments. It brought the Spirit into the room and we were able to
proceed with our council meeting. We talked about some really important issues
and everyone had a say in the decision. I learned through that experience that
it’s important to have a regular time every week to meet together as a family.
It is especially important as children start to get older because it is a time
when they know that their thoughts and ideas will be heard and that the family
can discuss current issues they are facing. Holding family councils is
something that I am going to do with my children because it strengthens the
bond between parents and children.
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