Although I want to say this to all of our immediate family (and we have in various ways on a number of occasions), the truth is people do as they wish and make excuses until they give it an honest thought. This primarily goes out to my children. Perhaps it will make more sense to you for the waiting period may be over by then, but at least you can understand our beliefs in the matter at hand. Our goal will always be to encourage you to have faith and be believing in all things pertaining to the gospel because you want to. Not because you have to earn His grace, but because His grace should become your motivation in this life.
Some of the gospel principles we've been taught surround self sufficiency in our temporal needs. It will surprise you how many people live day to day or paycheck to paycheck and don't really understand what being self sufficient means and it hurts worse when they don't care or feel entitled to the opposite - especially when America truly is a place of opportunity (have you seen what's going on elsewhere??) Self sufficiency in our temporal needs is dynamic, it means a healthy emergency fund, it means food storage (for me at least a 3 month supply), it means the basic skill sets of caring for a household (cooking, sewing, teaching, gardening), living outdoors and just being resourceful in general. It means being healthy body and mind.
For one reason or another various aspects of that list may be difficult for your family, but most will be difficult if you don't give it any forethought or understand the concept of sacrifice. I've said it a lot because I need to hear it, but this life wasn't meant to be comfortable. We are to find joy, but it's not in idleness and self-gratification.
Here is how and why you should start caring about that list, especially as members of the church because we believe in listening to those prophets, apostles and leaders who we know to be inspired by God. However, due to some people's reactions, I wonder if they decide to pick and choose what principles to care about (welcome to this generation). Mr Smith and I aren't perfect at any of these, but we have tried to work on them all and are fairly passionate about their importance.
1. Emergency Fund. Just in this last General Conference we were asked to save any amount, just to build a habit of saving. If you build good habits when you're younger, then you won't have to deal with the consequences when you're older. Essentially, in times of surplus, put more away. In times of famine, still do all you can to make sure you don't spend more than you're receiving, but those are the reasons we save in the first place. Getting a good education early on will make this a possibility. Having a good work ethic. Building connections. Be willing to move for opportunities. And the biggest thing, being willing to sacrifice especially in the beginning. We had two incomes up until Lexi was born. We built up a cash reserve, paid off Mr Smith's car as well as doubled our student loan payments. We looked for the most reasonable housing and budgeted for the essentials even when pinching dollars wasn't essential. However, we never made it a goal to limit ourselves so much that it created unnecessary stress. But spending habits that add up like eating out, household and clothing were limited. Mr Smith is currently working to get the management experience he needs to add to his career. His education took time and money, but his work ethic, connections and knowledge that comes from that will add to his future potential. I struggled in the beginning with loans because how much can we give when we're in debt? But Mr Smith always set a good example to me of service and helping me recognize how much we could still give. Living within your means is more than making sure your expenses never surpass your income, but for us, if we can make the debt payments (assuming debt is only for education or modest housing), then it's fine to still save for other necessary things. However, paying off debt is first priority and sooner is always better, but the current situation may dictate time, ability and practicality especially in the short-term. An emergency fund (including cash on hand) is critical to us, but that amount differs for everyone. Our minimum is 6 months worth of expenses.
And for the record, there is assistance in and out of the church for those times when we NEED it, but I have a hard time understanding anyone who uses it with planned intentions and excuses or just because they didn't care to think about the consequences of their choices. The goal is to build a plan so you can be independent and help others, not to live off the system as long as possible.
2. Food Storage. Plenty of people argue that we're crazy for keeping a 1 year supply especially while we aren't somewhere permanent (it traveled with us across the country). My initial thoughts on this are that many struggle with the faith during the "waiting" period. Was it in the 70's when the First Presidency started encouraging a 2-year supply? What about Brigham Young encouraging a 7 year supply back in the day? Either way, many think that need will be self evident soon enough, but sometimes we are commanded to do things we don't fully understand. Sometimes we're asked to strengthen our faith believing there is a reason to the sacrifice and planning even if nothing happens in the short-term. If the 1-year supply is daunting to you, ignore what that means and begin with getting a 3-month. That's where we started and what they suggest (because many are overwhelmed). This is easy to understand - stock up when things are on sale. Things won't always be on sale when you need them, so save now even if there is an initial hit on day 1. We buy canned goods 3 times a year in case lot sales at 50 cents a can. I go through canned beans, fruit, vegetables & tuna regularly and it.just.makes.sense. I wouldn't have stocked up on the 1-year supply of cannery items so quickly, but it has really been on Mr Smith's mind, so for our family, this helped him sleep better at night.
3. Household/Outdoor Skills. This is where we lack the most - skill development when it comes to canning and sewing, which are skills almost forgotten in this generation. We haven't stayed in a place longer than a year to invest in gardening besides some herb pots. I think this involves teaching our kids (the public school system is no longer a great option). I think it involves learning different ways of cooking - by fire, dutch oven, solar oven, etc... Can we be comfortable living in a situation outside of our brick and mortar home? Do we have things that would allow us to pack up and leave if we had to? Do we know how to get access to clean water, filter water, etc... There are a lot of tricks and tips to living on the basics of survival and being resourceful. Knowledge is power.
4. Physical and Mental Health. This is such an important aspect. How much medication are we crutched to just because we don't want to change our lifestyle habits? It's so easy for us to become sedentary and our body and minds both suffer! We need the energy that comes from a healthy, active lifestyle. I don't feel like I need to explain more. People who struggle here (including myself) know that they just make excuses for their poor eating habits and lack of physical activity. I guess I could mention much of our mental health can be strengthened in our spiritual study and learning.
5. Spiritual Self Reliance. At the end of the day, God is good and loves his children, but as Christ suffered for our sins, he will not take away our agency. It is vital that we make good choices with the time we've been given. The consequences cannot be averted if we aren't trying to live worthy of God's protection and guidance. Our spiritual self reliance is most important especially when it comes to keeping the faith even when times get hard. Obedience and study of the scriptures and words of the prophets and apostles helps us to come to know Christ. If we are striving to live in a way that His Spirit can remain with us, then we can have His peace in times of struggle because we will know who to turn to. We will be warned and we will be prepared.
And that's the end of my long rant. I love you. The world distracts us. Let us not be swayed!
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