There are so many examples of gospel teachings that are
different from what the world teaches us. What truths can you find in these
chapters that are hard for some people to accept or live?
We must forgive others if we are to receive forgiveness from the
Lord.
·At one time or
another, we all need to forgive someone who has offended us. How can we use the
parable of the unmerciful servant to inspire us to be more forgiving? We were
asked to ponder these questions as we read the parable:
·Who does the king represent?
·Who does the unmerciful servant represent?
·What does his debt represent? Who does the fellow servant
represent?
·What does his debt represent?
The following information about talents and pence can give us an
idea of how vastly different the two debts in the parable are. We were asked to
ponder what messages the parable has for ourselves personally.
Talents
and pence.
It’s difficult to know the exact values of the amounts of money
mentioned in the parable of the unmerciful servant (see Matthew 18:23–35).
However, there are clues in the New Testament that can help us understand the vast
difference between the 100-pence debt and the 10,000-talent debt.
The fellowservant in the parable owed the smaller debt of
100 pence. In Matthew 20:2, a
penny (the singular form of the word pence) is the wage
paid for a day’s work in a vineyard. Therefore, the fellowservant would have to
work for 100 days to earn 100 pence to pay his debt. But this amount
is extremely small when compared to the 10,000-talent debt of the unmerciful
servant. In Matthew 25:14–15, a
man’s entire fortune—“his goods”—is valued at only eight talents. Therefore, it would take the
combined, accumulated wealth of over 1,000 men like this man to pay the
unmerciful servant’s debt.
Jesus spoke of money and debt to teach about forgiveness.
The immense debt Jesus Christ paid for each of
us.
Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland shared what he learned about the parable of the
unmerciful servant while attending an institute class:
“[The teacher] noted
that the 100-pence forgiveness, which we were all expected to give one another
and acknowledged as a pretty fair amount of money, was … preciously little to
ask in light of the 10,000-talent forgiveness Christ had extended to us.
“That latter debt,
our debt, was an astronomical number, [the teacher] reminded us, almost
incapable of comprehension. But that, he said, was exactly the Savior’s point
in this teaching, an essential part of the parable. Jesus had intended that his
hearers sense just a little of the eternal scope and profound gift of his
mercy, his forgiveness, his Atonement.
“… For the
first time in my life I remember feeling something of the magnitude of Christ’s
sacrifice for me—a gift bordering to this
day on incomprehensibility. But a gift that made me, for the first time,
seriously consider my need to forgive other people and to be unfailingly
generous regarding their feelings and their needs and their circumstances” (“Students
Need Teachers to Guide Them” [Church Educational System satellite broadcast,
June 20, 1992]).
I challenge you to create an adaptation of the parable of the
unmerciful servant that teaches the same lessons about forgiveness using modern
situations and details. We were asked to do this in our groups and then report
back to the group as a whole.
Then we discussed how the parable answered Peter’s question
about how many times he should forgive.
·7 Nevertheless, he has
sinned; but verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, forgive sins unto those who confesstheir sins before me and ask forgiveness, who
have not sinnedunto death.
·8 My disciples, in days of
old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one
another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened.
·9 Wherefore, I say unto
you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth
condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
·10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is
required to forgive all men.
·11 And ye ought to say in
your hearts—let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee
according to thy deeds.
To obtain eternal life, we must love God and our neighbors.
Here’s an idea that comes from the lesson. I have adapted it
just a bit. It might give you a fresh view of the parable of the good
Samaritan: You could pretend that you are investigating a case of assault and
robbery on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem. Now, don’t forget to answer
these questions in your report -- why didn’t the priest and Levite stop to help
the injured man?
Why did the Samaritan stop?
What thoughts could the innkeeper add?
How did the injured man feel about each of the others?
Having a discussion with yourself. a friend, or with family members should
inspire you or your family members to be like the good Samaritan and the
innkeeper and avoid being like the priest and Levite.
When have you ever felt like the “certain man,” who needed help
desperately? How did help come?
How can we as children of God work together to help others, like
the good Samaritan and the innkeeper did?
·Besides teaching about what it means to love our neighbor, the
parable of the good Samaritan could also symbolize Jesus Christ’s power to save
us.
·Early
Christian interpretation of the parable of the good Samaritan.
·Over the centuries,
Christians have found symbols in the parable of the good Samaritan that teach
about Jesus Christ’s role as our Savior. For example, the man who fell among
thieves could represent all of us. The thieves could represent sin and death.
The Samaritan could represent the Savior. The inn could represent the Church,
and the Samaritan’s promise to return could represent the Savior’s Second Coming.
(See John W. Welch, “The Good Samaritan: Forgotten Symbols,”Ensign, Feb.
2007, 40–47.) https://www.lds.org/study/ensign/2007/02/the-good-samaritan-forgotten-symbols?lang=eng
·Now let’s read the parable, looking for Jesus Christ’s power to
save us, and other possible symbolic meanings. What do we learn about the
Savior and His Atonement when we read the parable this way? I think it’s pretty amazing all of the things
that you can find in thisparable, what do
you think? It
covers the fall of Adam and Eve; the plan of salvation; the second coming of
Christ; and so much more. A lot of things that I had not seen there before!
·42 But one thing is needful:
and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken
away from her.
·Sister Bonnie D. Parkin, former Relief
Society General President, taught: “Mary and Martha are you and me. … These two
loved the Lord and wanted to show that love. On this occasion, it seems to me
that Mary expressed her love by hearing His word, while Martha expressed hers
by serving Him. … Jesus did not dismiss Martha’s concern, but instead
redirected her focus by saying choose ‘that good part.’ And what is that? … The
one thing that is needful is to choose eternal life [see 2 Nephi
2:28]. We choose daily” (“Choosing
Charity: That Good Part,”Ensign or Liahona, Nov.
2003, 104). You can read it here:https://www.lds.org/study/general-conference/2003/10/choosing-charity-that-good-part?lang=eng How would you summarize the Lord’s counsel to Martha in your
own words? Examine your schedule—is there something “needful” that needs more of
your attention?
·After reading Luke 10:38–42, think
about how you might have reacted to the Savior’s counsel if you had been in
Martha’s place. How might this experience have affected your future choices?
How can we know what things in our own lives are “needful”? (Luke 10:42).
·38 ¶ Now it
came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a
certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
·39 And she had a sister
called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
·40 But Martha was cumbered
about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my
sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
·41 And Jesus answered and
said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
·42 But one thing is needful:
and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken
away from her.
As you read the Savior’s declarations about His own divinity
in John 7–10 for next week’s lesson, you can come to
know with greater surety that He is the Christ. Let’s all get to reading and
studying our assignment in the New Testament, so we will all be on the same
page for the next lesson I will share with you in a future post right here on
my blog😊 it has been so fun
learning about our Savior together. I hope I have not been the only one
learning new things along the way??
Well my dear Family and Friends here we are again at the end of
our lesson. I hope and pray that I have shared something from this lesson or
from something that I have said – something that has made you smile😊 it is very important for
each one of you to smile more!! I try to share lots of smiles in my writing just
in case your own is a bit heavy on the edges causing it to be turned down slightly.
Did you know that sharing your amazing smile with someone may be one of the
most important things that you do in a day!!
I had an experience years ago, in fact when I was in about the 7th
grade, when I shared a smile with my very grumpy neighbor. He was always
yelling or grumbling at someone whenever he was outside. If it wasn’t the paper
boy it was the mail man or the milk man – yes we had a milkman😊 oh and if a sales person
showed up on his property he went ballistic on them –namely the Avon or Tupperware lady or the Fuller brush man☹ he always had a sour face.
I went by his house to get to my bus stop and each day I would
smile at him and say good morning. In the beginning he would just ignore me,
but I kept smiling at him every day for a couple of months. He began making eye
contact after a few weeks and eventually he started smiling back at me. And by
the end of about three months he began to say good morning to me. By the end of
the fourth month he was asking me how my day was when I came back from school
each day – he seemed to be waiting for me to come by because he would go back
inside after i went up my driveway to my house.
I found out that he had some medical issues going on and he was
in a lot of pain and that is why he would lash out at people. It wasn’t right
but it was the way that he coped with his pain. We all deal with pain in our
own way don’t we. I was glad that I smiled at him and continued to do so. It seemed
to help him after awhile and he turned out to be a really nice man. I know that
my smile didn’t cure him of his pain, but maybe it gave him a little relief from
it when his focus was somewhere else, what do you think.
I
truly believe that a smile can radiate love to another person, because when you
smile you also light up your eyes and that light shines forth beautifully for
others who may need your light. And when you are living the gospel of Jesus
Christ you radiate the love of Christ to those you meet. Now that is the best
kind of light to share with all of those with whom you meet everyday😊
As
always -- keep studying your scriptures with me, keep praying,
remember who you
are, and until my next post – please make it a good week and do share your
smile with all those you come in contact with this week. It will make a
difference – even if that difference is only in you😊
You may never know when your smile will be the only bright spot in someone’s
day! Even if you can not do something big – you can always give a little smile😊
I
wanted to share some ideas directly from the lesson manual Come, Follow Me – for
Individuals and Families:
Ideas for Family Scripture Study and Family Home Evening
As you read the scriptures with your
family, the Spirit can help you know what principles to emphasize and discuss
in order to meet the needs of your family. Here are some suggestions:
What hymns can your family sing that relate
to the truths taught in these chapters? Two examples are “Lord, I Would Follow Thee” and “Have I Done Any Good?”Hymns,nos. 220, 223, but there are many
others. How do the words in these hymns help your family better understand the
Savior’s teachings?
Why would Jesus want us to become like a
little child? What are some characteristics of children that would make us more
Christlike if we incorporated them into our lives? (see Mosiah 3:19).
Jesus
wants His disciples to become like little children.
What
would make the parable of the good Samaritan come alive for your family? Would
they enjoy wearing costumes and acting it out? Be sure to help family members see
how they can be like the good Samaritan. Is there someone in need at school or
church whom we might be overlooking? What can we do for this person?
Is it ever difficult to fit spiritual
things into your family schedule? The story of Mary and Martha could inspire a
family council or family home evening about how to do this. As a family, you
could make a list of ways to choose “that good part” (see Luke 10:42).
I
hope these things are helpful to you and your families in your scripture study
and with your Family Home Evenings.
Sunday, June 2, 2019
Post # 107 Personal Finances- for Self-Reliance 8
Dear Family
and Friends
In this post
we will be discussing ways to get ourselves out of debt. It is from the manual
and from our self-reliance group. I have learned and been reminded of so many things
with each session I have been able to attend. You know that old phrase ‘if you
don’t use it, you’ll lose it’? I kind of think the things we learn in our life
are like that in some ways. Like we can learn something that works well for us
and then we stop doing it for a while and we start doing something different in
our routine and what we were doing that worked well for us and was good for us
becomes lost in the shuffle of our lives☹
Lesson # 8 Getting Out of Debt
LAST WEEK’S COMMITMENTS: MY COMMITMENTS
Ⓐ I will practice and share this week’s My Foundation
principle. Show Integrity
Financial Principles and Skills:
1. Understand debt. 2. Understand your debt realities. 3. Desire to get out of
debt. 4. Overcome the ‘natural man.’
Ⓑ I will inventory my debt using the example above.
Ⓒ I will discuss my debt inventory and ways to overcome and
prevent “natural man” tendencies with my family or an accountability partner.
Ⓓ I will contact and support my action partner. This would be
your spouse or other financial partner.
We discussed
the following questions about our last week’s commitments: ○ What experiences did you have practicing or sharing the My
Foundation principle? ○ What did you learn from creating a
debt elimination plan? ○ What are you now doing differently to
eliminate debt in your family?
How can we recognize answers to our prayers? Why is
listening an essential part of prayer?
We were asked
to read Doctrine and Covenants 8:2 and a quote by President Russell M. Nelson:I will tell you in your mind
and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall
dwell in your heart.” D &C 8:2
“Your soul will be blessed as
you learn to listen, then listen to learn from children, parents, partners,
neighbors, and Church leaders, all of which will heighten capacity to hear
counsel from on high.” RUSSELL M. NELSON, “Listen to Learn,”Ensign, May 1991, 24
Why is listening an
essential skill? How can careful listening help us in our work?
I wanted to
share this activity with each one of you, so that you could do it with me this
week:
Step 1: In this step we were asked to read the steps below
and briefly discuss them as a group.
Step 2: Ask one or two members of the group to tell the
others about a challenge or question they have. Everyone else should try to
listen, following these steps.
➊ CONCENTRATE ○ Focus on the
speaker’s words and body language. ○ Don’t interrupt. ○ Don’t read or send
messages on your phone.
➋ APPRECIATE ○ Look at the
speaker. ○ Use small words like “yes” or “okay.” ○ Thank the speaker.➌
REVIEW ○ Say, “So,
you are saying ...”○ Then repeat what you heard.
➍ ASK ○ Ask, “Did I understand?”
○ Listen, and wait for an answer.
Step 3: When finished, ask the group members who spoke how
they felt when the group really tried to listen.
“Our Heavenly Father hears the prayers of His children
across the earth pleading for food to eat, for clothes to cover their bodies,
and for the dignity that would come from being able to provide for themselves.”
HENRY B. EYRING,“Opportunities to
Do Good,” Ensign orLiahona, May 2011,
22
\
“We must ask for help from our Heavenly Father and seek
strength through the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ. In both temporal and
spiritual things, [this] enables us to become provident providers for ourselves
and others.” ROBERT D. HALES, “Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and
Spiritually,” Ensign or Liahona, May
2009, 7–8
Commit to do the following actions during the week.
□ Pray individually and as a family each morning and night.
Spend time after each prayer reverently listening for guidance.
□ Share what you’ve learned today about communication with
your family or friends.
CREATING LIFTIf
you are unable to watch the video, read this script.
PRESIDENT DIETER F. UCHTDORF: In order to get an airplane
off the ground, you must create lift. In aerodynamics, lift happens when air
passes over the wings of an airplane in such a way that the pressure underneath
the wing is greater than the pressure above the wing. When the upward lift
exceeds the downward pull of gravity, the plane rises from the ground and
achieves flight. In a similar way, we can create lift in our spiritual life.
When the force that is pushing us heavenward is greater than the temptations
and distress that drag us downward, we can ascend and soar into the realm of
the Spirit.
Though there are many gospel principles that help us to
achieve lift, I would like to focus on one in particular. Prayer! Prayer is one
of the principles of the gospel that provides lift. Prayer has the power to
elevate us from our worldly cares. Prayer can lift us up through clouds of
despair or darkness into a bright and clear horizon. One of the greatest
blessings and privileges and opportunities we have as children of our Heavenly
Father is that we can communicate with Him through prayer. We can speak to Him
of our life experiences, trials, and blessings. We can listen for and receive
celestial guidance from the Holy Spirit at any time and at any place. (See
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Prayer and the Blue Horizon,” Ensign or Liahona, June 2009, 5–6)
BUDGET AND SPENDING
CHECKPOINT
We were asked to review and to update our
budget. The reason for this is to find out what is working well and what is not?
To find out what categories we need to adjust, if any? Could we maybe spend
less in some categories to more quickly save up for our emergency fund, to become debt free, or save for the future?
One of our commitments this week will be to discuss the following activity
during family council.
I wanted to
share this activity with each one of you that we did in our group: We were
asked to consider each of the categories below and then to answer the questions
honestly.
HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT MY SPENDING?
I spend too little
I feel good about my spending
I spend too much Eating out at restaurants □ □ □ Groceries □
□ □ Snacks and beverages □ □ □ Entertainment □ □ □ Rent or mortgage □ □ □
Utilities □ □ □ Clothing □ □ □ Household items □ □ □ Transportation □ □ □
Insurance □ □ □ Cell phone □ □ □
We took turns
reading where in the Old Testament, Joseph had told the Pharaoh of the message
of his dreams where they would have seven years of plenty, followed by seven
years of famine. Immediately, after Joseph’s message was told to the Pharaoh,
he appointed officers to set aside extra from the good years to prepare for the
bad years that were coming as found in Genesis 41:1–37. It is true that most
likely we will not always have a clear prophecy of when the good and bad times
will come, our prophets today have encouraged us to prepare for crises, especially
when things are going well for us.In this chapter, we will learn what
to do when we face a financial crisis and how to prepare for crises before they
occur.
We were asked to think about the
following questions:What will you do if you encounter a financial
crisis?The
first thing I would do is assess my situation then pray for what I am in need
of the most and go on from there.What financial crises have you experienced in the past?A couple of situations come to my
mind: My husband lost his job. He was injured on the job and his workman’s comp
ran out.
What types of
financial crises might you encounter?Loss
of your job. Power outage. Water rationing. Natural disaster. Weather related
crisis – flood, hail, wind, rain, tornado, lightening – fire. Injury to the
bread winner of your household.
THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY
When we started learning about building an emergency fund,
my husband and I didn’t think we could actually come up with enough money. We
prayed for guidance, and our answer was to sell one of our cars. Now my husband
takes the bus to work, and we have a full emergency fund.
If a bus were
an option, I would gladly take one too😊 I work in the next town over and they
have a bus system, but it doesn’t come to our town☹
1. LEARN TO MANAGE
FINANCIAL CRISES
Like an emergency or fire escape plan, in the event of a
financial crisis you should have a course of action that is simple to follow.
About managing trials, Elder Marvin J. Ashton asked, “Can you quietly sit down, review
the facts, and list all the possible courses of action? Can you identify causes
and determine remedies? Quiet contemplation can solve problems more quickly
than frantic force” (“Give with Wisdom That They May Receive with
Dignity,” Ensign, Nov. 1981, 88).
Determining how to handle financial crises beforehand will
allow you to be emotionally and financially prepared when hardship strikes and
can help you prevent some crises in the future. Managing a financial crisis
requires two steps:assess the situation
and take appropriate action.
**** It is so
important to -- Assess the Situation
To assess a potential financial crisis, you may want to ask
the following questions:
○ Are you faithful in
paying your tithing and offerings? Are you living your life in such a way that
you are worthy of God’s blessings?
○ What emergency precautions have you already
put in place that will help you face the current challenge? Do you have food
and water storage? an emergency fund? proper insurance?
○ Where do your
emergency preparations fall short?
○ What insurance
policies do you have that may cover some or all of this challenge?
○ How long will you
be able to stretch out your emergency fund?
○ Is there room in
your budget and debt elimination plan for temporary adjustments, if needed?
Why is it important
to decide now how to manage a financial crisis? Deciding
before an emergency happens will lessen the stress of the situation. Most
emergency situations are very stressful in and of themselves. You wonder just
how you are going to manage your situation, so you pray for answers.Why would you want to add unneeded
stress to what will most likely be a stressful situation ant way?
How has the Spirit
helped you handle crises in the past?
I remember a
time when I first joined the church and so I was very new to the whole concept
of the Lord speaking to me through the Holy Ghost. I thought I was only trying
to talk myself into taking my children to visit their dad at work after he had
told them that they could not visit on that day because of their naughty
behaviors. But had I known that it was the Holy Ghost speaking to me I would
not have talked myself out of doing what may have saved us from an accident
that sent all of my children and myself to the hospital in an ambulance☹
Another time
when my car broke down in a very unsafe curve in the road, the Spirit helped me
figure out what I needed to do to get my car running enough to get it to a safe
place off the road where I could then walk to a place up the road and call for
help😊
Why is it important
to thoroughly assess a situation before you take action?
If you assess
the situationfirst, then
you can decide which resources you need or can access for the help you need for
your specific emergency situation. This will also help keep you from making
unneeded choices that can be made in the stress of the situation😊
Take Action
Depending on the type
and severity of your financial crisis, there are different actions you might be
able to take to help you overcome your financial challenges. While these
actions may not make sense for all situations, the following steps should give
you an idea of what can be done in the event of a financial crisis.
Call Your Insurance
Company
Some financial crises may involve a health emergency, an
automobile accident, home repairs, or job loss. For such situations, before you
panic or take other actions, call your insurance provider to check coverage.
Asking them about coverage doesn’t mean you are filing a claim. But if your
situation is covered, you should be able to get a sense of what your personal
expenses are going to be.
Use Your Emergency
Fund
The purpose of your
emergency fund is to help you get through financial crises. Do not feel guilty
for using it for these situations. You can use your emergency fund for whatever
you need—from living expenses to insurance deductibles. Be wise about using it
for the right things at the right times. Replenish your emergency fund as fast
as possible if you have to use money from it.
We have had a
need for using our food storage and our savings in prior years, and we were so
very grateful that we had prepared ahead a little bit. We have even had a need
to get help from our Bishop in years past when my husband was out of work for a
few years. My kids and I would clean our church buildings to allow us to work
for what we received😊
Pay Your Most
Important Expenses and Bills First
Closely examine all of your expenses and bills and determine
which must be taken care of immediately and which could be delayed for a short
period without great penalty. It may be necessary to call your billers to see
if they have temporary hardship grace periods, interest-free payment plan
options, or due-date extensions. Be wise about which expenses you take care of
first, and research the adverse effects of deferring the payment of other bills
before doing so. You may need to cut unnecessary expenses for a time, if
possible. Focus on food, shelter, utilities, and necessary transportation
before paying other expenses.
What financial crises merit a call to your
insurance company?
Car accident.
Hot water heater bursts. Broken water pipes – either inside or outside. Fire or
theft. Hail damage to house, garage, out buildings, property, crops or car.
Roof damaged in a storm or other weather-related damage.
Call Your Creditors
In extreme
circumstances, it may be wise to call your creditors and explain your current
situation. Depending on the crisis, you may want to ask them to: ○ Temporarily
delay or reduce payments. ○ Extend or permanently modify the terms of the loan.
While this may be the only viable option in extreme cases,
beware that delaying payments or modifying the terms of your loan can trigger
additional fees and make the loan more expensive in the long run.Our credit union gave us a payment
holiday on our car loans when my son-in-law was off work for a while.it is more
expensive to do this because they tack it onto the end of your loan which
incurs more interest I would guess.
Identify Other
Resources That Can Help
It is our responsibility to provide
for ourselves and our families. However, there may be times when we must
temporarily rely on others. We discussed some resources and were told that as we
seek other resources, we must be cautious of becoming dependent on assistance
long-term—such dependence will stunt our spiritual and temporal progress.
As we read in chapter 2, President Spencer W. Kimball taught that there
are four tiers of temporal help we can turn to:
1. Self: You should first do all that you
can yourself to provide for your family and alleviate immediate threat.
2. Family: If you
are unable to meet basic financial needs yourself after doing all that you
personally can, you should reach out to close or extended family if needed for
temporary financial assistance, whether for housing, food, or other needs.
3. Church: After
doing all you can yourself and then seeking assistance from family, you may
need to meet with your Church leaders (bishop, branch president, or Relief
Society president) to explore additional options. Remember that your Church
leaders are wisely instructed to help people sustain life when
necessary, not lifestyle.
4. Community:
Various community or government support programs may be available to you that
may offer aid in the form of financial or employment counseling, housing
assistance, nutritional support for newborn and maternal health, and so forth. Remember
that these programs are designed to provide short-term assistance. Do not rely
on them long term.
I want to
share with you an activity that we did in our personal finance for
self-reliance group:
Step 1: in
this first step we were asked to answer the questions below individually and really
consider what we would do to manage a financial crisis of one type or another.
If I were to lose my source of income, how long could I
currently live on my savings? (How many days, weeks, or months?) Right now, I might could manage maybe
a month without help☹ not the best situation I know, but I
am working on it.
Who are my creditors that I would need to call to explain my
situation?For me it would be the bank for my car, my
shed, and maybe my doctors and the hospital where I have my tests done.
Which family members or friends could I look to if I needed
help?I
can call any of my children, they would help me if they are able to at the time
of my need, my parents are deceased and I’m not real sure but don’t think my
siblings are in any position to help anyone.
It’s time for more questions now: Why should
we seek help from our family before seeking help from the Church and community?
First of all, I believe that we should be there for our family members whenever
we can. It should be second nature for us to help each other in our families. We
should raise our children to forgive their family members whenever we are hurt
or offended by them. Raise them to be there for each other and for you as well!
I am living
proofthat this can work and can be a
goodthing for all family members if you
raise your children this way they will be there for you when you need them as
you have been there for them all if the years while raisingthem. When your own family can help you why
would you go to outsiders with your troubles? What resources that your group
has identified are available in your area to help cope with crises?
Step 2: we
were asked to pair up with our action partner (or our spouse if present) and
then to discuss our answers. We were asked to discuss ways that we could better
prepare now for difficult times ahead. And then to record our ideas and make
plans to follow through. One way to prepare for rough times ahead is to have a
sufficient supply of food and water for all of your family members
2. INCREASE YOUR
EMERGENCY PREPARATIONS
Our discussion here reminds us that we should
have or should be working on building a one-month emergency fund. I am still
working on this one a it takes a while to save money when you need it to make
ends meet each month. Remember every little bit will help so don’t get
discouraged. Keep working on it, adding a few dollars here and a few dollars
there. Maybe you could wait a few more months for a new pair of shoes or make
last year’s wardrobe last a little bit longer and add the money you had planned
to spend on it to your emergency fund.
I think the
problem with having savings sometimes is that when you are in a situation where
you are receiving medical treatments which you cannot afford on your own. You
can only have a certain amount of money before you can no longer receive the
help you need for your medical treatments. This usually does not allow you to
have that much money in savings before they will no longer help you receive
your treatments☹what is that called ??? a catch 22 or
something like that… darned if you do, darned if you don’t!
Most
importantly our preparations should not end there! We need to, we must work to
become free from consumer debt and to then build a three- to six-month
emergency fund and acquire insurance to protect our income. For me the only big
debts I have is my car payment and my medical, besides my monthly household
bills, and of course the life sustaining stuff like food and water😊
Build a Three- to
Six-Month Emergency Fund
We had a discussion that reminded us that after
we have paid off all of our consumer debt, the next step is to grow our
one-month emergency fund into a three- to six-month emergency fund. They
reminded us of the importance of keeping the money for our emergency fund in a
safe place so that we can access our money when we need it without penalty.
Remember
that we should add to this fund as quickly as we possibly can so that will
allow us to be better prepared for financial crises when it arrises. One of my
commitments this week will be to evaluate my emergency fund and to continue to
pay off my consumer debts. Of course, this should be one of your commitments as
well, if you are following along with and completing these sessions with me😊
Acquire Appropriate Income Insurance Note: This information
may not apply to your region or area.
They told us that one of our most important
assets is our income. That means that we should search reputable disability and
life insurance policies in our area and obtain the adequate coverage as quickly
as we possibly can. If you have not done this as yet, you probably should do so
as well.
DISCUSS PREPARING FOR
FINANCIAL CRISES IN YOUR FAMILY COUNCIL
We were reminded that one of our commitments
this week will be to discuss our responses to “Budget
and Spending Checkpoint” and our preparations for financial crises. We were
asked to discuss emergencies that may occur in our family, how we can prepare
for them, what insurance we may need to obtain to help protect ourselves and
plans to call billers and creditors should the need arise.
This is something that I am passing along to
you to do as well😊in each lesson there is an example of
a family council to help us share and teach the information that we have
learned with our spouses, families, roommates, or other members of your
household😊
Budget and
Spending Checkpoint”
HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT MY SPENDING?
I spend too little
I feel good about my spending
I spend too much Eating out at restaurants □ □ □ Groceries □
□ □ Snacks and beverages □ □ □ Entertainment □ □ □ Rent or mortgage □ □ □ Utilities □ □ □ Clothing □ □ □ Household items □ □ □ Transportation □ □ □ Insurance □ □ □ Cell phone □ □ □
So here is
the sample for you to use if you choose to do so the “Sample Family Council
Discussion” is outlined below.Remember, if you are not married, your
family council might include a roommate, friend, family member, or mentor.
SAMPLE FAMILY COUNCIL
DISCUSSION Be sure to begin and end with a prayer to invite the Spirit.
Part 1: Review ○
How are you doing on your budget? (Review answers to the “Budget and Spending
Checkpoint” activity. ○ How are you
doing on your one-month emergency fund? ○ Are you living life righteously
enough to be eligible for God’s help during a crisis? What can you improve?
Part 2: Plan ○
What financial crises may occur in your family? ○ How much do you need for a
three- to six-month emergency fund? What can you do to save up for it? ○ What
does and does not merit the use of your emergency fund? ○ What more can you do
to be prepared for these crises? ○ What insurance do you need to obtain to
protect your income, health, and belongings? ○ What can you do to improve or
adjust your budget?
We were then
asked to individually think about what we have learned today and consider what
the Lord would have us do. Then we were asked to read the scripture or quote
below and write responses to the questions.
“Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and
all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them”
(Ezekiel 38:7).
What are the
most meaningful things I learned today?
MY COMMITMENTSⒶ I will practice and share this week’s My Foundation
principle. Communication
Ⓑ I will continue to put money
toward my emergency fund or unnecessary debt. Ⓒ I
will discuss both my “Budget and Spending Checkpoint” and preparing for
financial crises in my family council.
Ⓓ I will contact and support my
action partner.
Here we are
again at the end of our lesson. My dear Family and Friends, I hope and pray
that I have shared or said something that has inspired you to want to learn
more, to do more, to live better, to manage our finances in the Lord’s way and
to seriously work on our debt elimination😊 stay positive, look for the good
things in life, stay your focus on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ😊
when necessary REFOCUS in Christ! Keep Him as your sure foundation and you will
manage the storms of life.
Remember to
consider what the Lord would have you do in and given situation, then act on
what you learn from Him – we will never go wrong in doing this. Just as we will
never go wrong in listening to and following the directions and warnings of our
living prophet, even President Russell M. Nelson😊
as always, keep studying the scriptures with me, keep praying, work in your commitments
for this week and remember who you are! Until my next post please make it a
good week😊
