A Little Bit of Planning, A Lot of Success!

6 Things You Can Do To Prepare Your Family For Anything

Personal and Family Preparedness is designed around the realities of everyday family life in a remarkable balance. You can scarcely think of a problem that could arise in the life of any family member—or the family as a whole—that could not be taken care of if preparation were solid enough and early enough in one or more of these six areas. Through this kind of “provident living” families in most cases really can live happier lives because economic, physical, and emotional problems are held to a minimum and the things that make life worth living are encouraged to a maximum.  Provident living will be described as being “wise, frugal, prudent, making provision for the future while attending to immediate needs. “

Here are some of the standards that the Church would like individuals and families to meet in Personal and Family Preparedness:

1. Literacy and Education. “The prepared person reads, writes, and does basic mathematics; regularly studies the scriptures and other good books; and uses local resources to teach these skills and habits to all family members. Parents and children should take advantage of public and other educational opportunities.”

2. Career Development. “Each head of a household should select a suitable vocation or profession and pursue appropriate training. Each young person should receive counsel to help him select a career that will satisfy family economic needs and provide personal satisfaction.”

3. Financial and Resource Management. “The prepared person should establish financial goals, pay tithes and offerings, avoid debt, wisely use and preserve economic resources, and save during times of production for times of non-production. 

4. Home Production and Storage. “Each person or family should produce as much as possible through gardening, sewing, and making household items. Each person and family should learn techniques of home canning, freezing and drying foods, and, where legally permitted, should store and save a one-year supply of food, clothing, and, if possible, fuel.”

5. Physical Health. “Every member should obey the Word of Wisdom and practice sound principles of nutrition, physical fitness, weight control, immunization, environment quality and sanitation, mother and child health, accident prevention, dental health, and medical care. In addition, each member should acquire appropriate health-related skills in first aid and safety, home nursing, and food selection and preparation.”

6. Social-Emotional and Spiritual Strength. “Each person should build spiritual strength to meet life’s challenges and stresses with confidence and stability by learning to love God and communicate with Him in personal prayer, by learning to love and serve his neighbor, and by learning to love and respect himself through righteous living and self-mastery. Each family should understand that social and emotional strength is a blessing that results from spiritual growth through obedience to revealed principles of family living.

Now, can you see yourself sitting down with your husband or wife and a sheet of paper and a pencil and taking a serious look at your own family to see how it measures up in each of these categories? A thousand ideas will awaken within you. Maybe you’ll realize that your children are learning to read all right, but they only read when they have to. Or that because of a lot of small influences in your home.