Finding Faith in Family

"Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith and prayer..."

--The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

I love going to church. I have been a church-goer all my life, and I will never stop attending. My faith is so important to me because it has influenced the person that I am today. I know that I am blessed when I go to church, pray, and read the scriptures. My family is also blessed immensely because of this because it brings the Spirit into our home and brings us closer together.

In today's society marriages and families are falling apart. The world is losing faith in family life. There are ways that we can strengthen our families by having faith in our lives, and this will increase our faith in our families. 

10 ways that we can increase faith in family life
1. Religious community and marital fidelity
2. Religious community and avoidance of pornography, violence, and conflict.
3. Religious community and the importance of being "equally yoked"
4. Religious community and mothering
5. Religious community and fathering
6. Religious practice of prayer in marriage
7. Religious practice of family rituals
8. Religious practices and the parent-child bond
9. Religious beliefs and parenting
10. Religious beliefs and marriage.
*Definition of "religious community": "support, involvement, and relationships grounded in a congregation or less formal religious group" (Dollahite, Marks, & Goodman, 2004, p. 143). 

I love the principle of praying together as a family. "Praying together as a family and reading the scriptures...together is probably the best [thing we do to pull us toward Heavenly Father and each other]....It feels right. It feels good....I'm grateful to...be able to do that."

--Shana, Latter-day Saint mother

Source: Hawkins, A. J. (20122012). Faith in Family Life. Successful marriages and families: proclamation principles and research perspectives (186-192). Provo, Utah: BYU Studies and School of Family Life, Brigham Young University.

In my personal experience, praying and having faith in Jesus Christ and in the family has brought me closer to my Father in Heaven and to my spouse and family. We are happier and are more unified. 

Watch this to learn more about faith, prayer, and family:

What are some experiences your families have had with prayer and having faith as a family?