Family: Isn't it about Time?

 Hello fellow people. What a week it has been. Some of you may be wondering where this title comes from. Well in the 90’s I believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were releasing ads which showed a little video of a family and then sometimes at the end it would ask “ Family isn’t it about time?”.  As a missionary I watched a lot of them. They are amusing. 

Well this week in my family relations class we discussed roles in families. Like what roles we get put upon or get chosen to be. For example, back during Covid I felt pretty crappy. I was a senior in high school and the world was falling apart. It was trash. But one thing I could do was clean the kitchen. So at like 2 AM when I was watching movies or playing video games or watching TV I would clean the kitchen to make my mom happy. I couldn't do a lot but that I could do. Us kids had the role of getting my mom her diet coke a lot. But let’s dive even further. Who is the peacemaker, the rebel, the protector, the “different one”. For each family it is different. 

Every family is different. That is one of the coolest things about the idea of a family. Each member of the family may take on different roles at different times and that is ok. No family is going to be perfect or should have perfection expected of them. I know my family is not perfect. Parents aren't perfect. Marriages aren't perfect. Children aren't perfect. Babies are perfect.  For a while a different member of the family may be leading the charge on making sure the other children don’t go destroying the city. You may be the babysitter. You may be the peacemaker. You may be the voice of reason. You may be the one with the “bad grades”. Or the one with the “good grades”.

The point is that whatever we do we have a divine mandate to help and love each other. It is not always easy but it is always necessary. It does not mean we let everyone off the hook easy every time. Sometimes we need to figure things out and that may mean getting grounded. But our Heavenly father always loves and he sometimes doesn't let everything work out the way we want to. Even when he hates seeing us cry. But you know who helps us when we cry. Our family. And family is so much more than just our blood. I will most likely reiterate some of my former points in future posts because I feel strongly about that. That no one has a perfect family by design. We learn and grow together. No one is loved more or less in the eyes of our God.

So what does that mean for us? It means no judging. Not thinking about our family is the prime example. Which is hard, it is not easy, but with the savior's help it is possible. When we face hardships we know it'll be ok because of him. When someone in our family lets us down it will most likely happen just know it does not make them the worst. Forgiveness is a key part of the human experience. Even when it is hard. So next time just remember in the eyes of god you are no better than them. That is something I can work on.

In conclusion, be kind. Whatever happens, be kind. That does not mean you can’t speak your mind.  It doesn't mean being a pushover. Just know you are not the only one struggling. We all have stuff.