Faith

Shared family faith, or religious practice and belief, serves as a valuable coping resource to help families "navigate the challenges the inevitably find us all" (Marks, 2012). "Of the more than 200 total studies focused on both faith and mental health, 80 percent indicate greater hope or optimism, greater well-being, a greater sense of purpose and meaning in life, lower depression, less anxiety and fear, and less negative coping among those who are religious" (Koenig at al. 2001). "Faith in our family begins with trusting our Heavenly Father and His promises. We press forward despite challenges, never giving up on ourselves or our children. We teach our family to have faith in Christ by living what we know to be true. Our children learn their most powerful lessons from our faithfulness" (The Church, 2015).

 

Prayer

Prayer invokes a "partnership with God that helps [families] during situations of conflict" (Lambert, 2012). Prayer has been shown to "enhance experiences of emotional validation, promote accountability toward deity, de-escalate negative interactions, contempt, hostility, and emotional reactivity, enhance relationship behavior, facilitate partner empathy, increase self-change focus, encourage reconciliation and problem-solving, and promote a sense of guidance from God" (Butler, 1998). "There is no more beautiful sight in all this world than to see a family praying together. There is real meaning behind the oft-quoted ‘The family that prays together stays together.’ The Lord directed that we have family prayer when He said, ‘Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed’ (3 Nephi 18:21)” (The Church, 2015).

 

Repentance & Forgiveness

"Sincere repentance and genuine forgiveness are gifts from God made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." The steps of repentance are: recognize the sin, feel sorrow for the sin, forsake the sin, confess to the Lord, and make restitution. The steps of forgiveness are: recognize the offense and claim the injury, have sorrow for the offense, disclose the offense to a trusted friend, avoid the offending behavior by establishing boundaries, offer the gift of forgiveness, and make restitution (taking legal steps if necessary or replenishing personal reserves) (Walton, 2012). "Apologies facilitate forgiveness and forgiveness motivates repentance" in families (Holeman, 2008).

 

Respect

"Could anyone be more deserving of respect than a literal child of God? Each of us—husband and wife, parent and child—has that marvelous heritage and potential. Sometimes we lose sight of each other’s true worth. But as we give respect, our love deepens, potential blossoms, and eternal relationships grow stronger" (The Church, 2015).

 

Love

"Because love is the great commandment, it ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family, in our Church callings, and in our livelihood. Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk” (The Church, 2015).

 

Compassion

"Compassion means to feel love and mercy toward another person. It means to have sympathy and desire to relieve the suffering of others. It means to show kindness and tenderness toward another. When life seems tough, home can be a place where we find love, compassion, and warmth. Within our family, we feel reassured that someone understands and cares how we feel. And the compassion we witness and experience at home inspires us to be more compassionate to others" (The Church, 2015).

 

Work

Those [families] "who felt most successful were parents who had learned to enjoy family work. They did not waste energy complaining about the workload, wishing it would go away, or punishing children for less than adequate performance. At every age, children respond best when working alongside parents or other children, but even when they work alone, they benefit from the experience. The daily rituals of family work are the Lord's gift and blessing to all people and cultures, providing daily opportunities for parents to teach while working alongside their children, for husbands to draw closer to their wives, and for siblings to bond while they work together to serve the family." It can be the "invisible glue that can bind families together" (Bahr, 2012).     

 

Wholesome Recreational Activities

"Wholesome recreation is an intentional process.  It can serve to promote positive development in our children, strengthen our marriages, and build strong families. The components to wholesome recreation include opportunities to verbally communicate, develop skills, face challenges, create memories, share traditions and beliefs, and spend time together in the family setting. If we are drawn to seek wealth, material goods, and pleasure in the pursuit of happiness, we are likely to miss important opportunities for whole family recreation" (Widmer, 2012).