Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The Big 5

In Africa they call them "The Big Five" - elephant, rhino, Cape buffalo, lion, and leopard.  These animals are the biggies.  
Well, in family life there are "The Big Five" also.  They are so well known we  get almost bored reciting them -  prayer, scripture reading, attending church weekly, doing things together (service, work, play, eat), and family home evening. 


But, the question is, "What if we are doing all those things and we still have problems?"  I would like to share with you a 1994 entry from my journal.


"He said he hated her, and his eyes showed he meant it.  Her sulking in her bedroom gave no room for negotiation or resolution.  I hurt and felt nauseated.  Right then heaven was a long way from our home.  I was tormented.  Families, our family, was not supposed to be like this.  I loved and ached for both of them.  There was nothing else to do but more of the same; family prayers, scripture time, family home evenings, vacations, going to church.  Slowly the battlefield had fewer casualties.  Time and the gospel and growing were working.  Missions, college, temple marriages, and more growing.


"Now, I watch these two with their spouses playing Scrabble, going to Disneyland, snowballing.....being friends. 



No healing of the deaf, blind, and leperous was more of a miracle than watching him cuddle her baby and whisper, 'Remember, I'm your favorite uncle.' "
The Big Five.  They're awesome. 
And they're worth it.

5 comments:

robin said...

all of your posts speak right to me! just today my daughter called her brother something mean and i just had that hopeless feeling... like, "what am i doing wrong? will they ever stop saying mean things?"

i know they will. and this post gives me more hope!

Carrie said...

Truly a post full of hope. Thank you! Sometimes it's nice to hear how others struggled, but made it through anyway.

shelly said...

your journal must have been smudged because that did not happen in 1994 :) it was more like 1984-maybe you were just remembering it then. in 1994 I was already married. we had made up years before then. and thank heaven we did. i love you scott. thanks for keeping up with the big 5 mom and dad.

Mom said...

Yep, Sweetie, I wrote it long after the fact. When I finally could see some results.

Naomi and Family said...

That gave me chills. I really love this post and the one before it. Really, our best and never giving up is all the Lord has ever asked of us.