Our Christ Culture

I think I have mentioned it before: I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I have been a Latter-day Saint my whole entire life, and I do not know who I would be without being raised on Jesus Christ.  

A few months ago, I returned from serving as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ.  I served in Kansas for two years.  It was during my time in Kansas that I made the decision to pursue a degree in Marriage and Family studies.  Because of this decision, I thought to myself: well, what makes a strong family?  A couple that invited me over for dinner were just about to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary.  I asked them, "How in the world have you made your marriage last that long??"  They answered with this exact statement, "Well, we made Jesus Christ the foundation of our relationship.  Our marriage was never just the two of us.  It was me, my wife, and the Savior.  That is our culture"  

"How interesting," I thought to myself.  In my head, I wondered what my family culture was. I began peering through windows in my memory to see how my own parents have not only made Jesus Christ the foundation of their marriage, but also of our family.  I have a few that I would like to share if that is alright...yes?  Groovy, baby.

On Sunday, which is the Sabbath Day, my family would get together and help my mum make our traditional Sunday dinner.  Every Sunday, we would have a pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans.  Our kitchen was kind of hectic, but it increased the love we had towards one another through working together to make our meal.  After we had our fill, we would all clear the table, rinse our dishes, fill up the dishwasher, and then wash the rest by hand.  We then moved into the family room to discuss God's word in the scriptures, and talk about our weekly plans.  

My mum knows how to make the best sourdough bread.  She taught us the steps on how to make it ourselves.  We would give the bread to those who were lonely and needed a visit, When she was my teacher for Sunday School at church, she would bring bread for us to eat, but also to remind us how Christ taught that He is the living bread.  In the New Testament, in John chapter 6 verse 35, Christ teaches "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger..." 

Every year, in the 12 days leading up to Christmas morning, my family would counsel with one another.  We would select two families to drop off little gifts that correspond, sometimes in a humorous fashion, to the gifts of the 12 days of Christmas.  My parents would have us do this every Christmas season to remind us that even though we receive gifts during the most wonderful time of the year, the best gift of all was given thousands of years ago in the form of a baby whose crib was an animal’s feeding trough.  Because God gave us His Son as the greatest gift of all, we too must give.  

As I look back on these memories with fondness, I am very grateful for the type of culture my parents fostered within our home.  It has allowed me to positively grow into the person I am today, and it has also inspired within me the desire to carry on these customs and traditions when I have a family of my own.