Vicissitudes and Victories

Important Realization

I know that I don't have very many faithful readers, and I also know that I don't often address openly religious topics on this blog. But it's my blog and I need to write about what I'm thinking. Over the past few days I have been thinking about the nature of relationships wheteher familial, romantic, friendly, or unfriendly. I have also been thinking about the role that I play in such relationships and also the way that others live within similar relationships. I have been pondering and pondering until today when I entered the shower, I remembered something found in the counsels of my church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued a Proclamation on the Family that defines for its members and the world the nature of the Family relationship. http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,161-1-11-1,00.html

As I thought about the nature of the family relationship, I remembered one piece of counsel from the proclamation in particular. The proclamation states that, "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." As I thought on these words, I realized that I don't have to confine them only to familial relationships. I believe that my role in any relationship is to try and found that relationship on the principles espoused in the proclamation because any good relationship should be built on these principles.

Thus, I hereby pledge to my few faithful readers that as a friend, son, brother, boyfriend, grandson, colleague, or even enemy that I will base all of my relationships on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. I can't promise to be perfect, but I can promise to try and do what's right.

posted by Joel @ 12:34 PM