Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Our Home: Babylon? Or Zion?



One morning last week, I awoke with a question in my mind:

Is your home like Zion? Or is it more like Babylon?

This question startled me. But it also made me think seriously about the atmosphere in my home, and I began to ask myself more questions, such as:

  • What am I spending my time doing? 
  • What activities are a true priority for me, based on my actions, and not just my words? 
  • What kind of media is our family exposed to? 
  • Are there attitudes and ideas creeping in that are leading us down the wrong path? 
  • How do we speak to one another in our home? How do we treat one another?
  • What messages am I sending my children?
I then sat down to write a list of words in my journal that describe the two cultures of Babylon and Zion, and I came up with the lists below.

Words that describe Babylon:

  • Proud 
  • Wicked 
  • Selfish
  • Annoyed 
  • Judgmental
  • Critical 
  • Negative 
  • Mocking 
  •  Rejection 
  • Derision 
  • Impatient
  • Contentious
  • Angry
  • Snobbish 
  • Rude 
  • Mean
  • Unfriendly 
  • Sarcastic
  • Immodest 
  • Lustful
  • Ungrateful 
  • Fearful
  • Worried 
  • Irritated 
  • Vain
  • Materialistic
  • Stubborn
  • Trendy 
  • Haughty
  • Rebellious
  • Filthy
  • Dismissive 
  • Frustrated

Words that describe Zion:

  • Humble 
  • Loving 
  • Kind 
  • Patient 
  • Giving 
  • Generous 
  • Happy 
  • Unselfish 
  • Peaceful 
  • Content 
  • Positive 
  • Encouraging 
  • Faithful 
  • Obedient 
  • Clean 
  • Pure 
  • United 
  • Supportive 
  • Beautiful 
  • Holy 
  • Teachable 
  • Hopeful 
  • Loyal 
  • Courageous 
  • Safe 
  • Honest 
  • Grateful 
  • Joyful 
  • Sharing 
  • Helpful 
  • Forgiving 
  • Simple 
  • Willing 
  • Understanding 
  • Sympathetic 
  • Integrity 
  • True 
  • Service 
  • Righteous 
  • Trustworthy 
  • Christ-like

A Litmus Test

After pondering on this on my own, I decided to discuss these questions with my family, and we came up with a list of things we wanted to stop doing in order to eliminate "Babylonian" culture from our home. We also made a list of things we have been doing that make our home feel more like "Zion-like," that we want to continue doing. And lastly, we made a list of things that we want to add to our family culture that will help our home feel more like Zion, and less like Babylon.

Some things on our list that the kids suggested was spending less time on computers and devices, less time watching movies, and more time playing games together. We also wanted to continue our daily family prayers and scriptures study.

A Free Family Home Evening Plan

If you would like to use the lesson we shared in our home, below is the link to the Family Home Evening plan on Google Drive:






With a prayer for each of our homes,

Mama Rachel




1 comment:

  1. I really like your two lists. I read them through twice to really think about. I do think the media we bring into our house often weds us to Babylon. I used to think there was a balance between what we could/should watch and what we rejected so we wouldn't be too weird and unlike others. I am pretty sure now that this is wrong.

    I would add one more item to your Zion list-- knowledge.
    I read this scripture a year ago and it really struck me. I have been pondering it more recently. I think it says a lot in just a few words.

    "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Hosea 4:6

    ReplyDelete

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