Provide for Self and Family

Members of  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes inadvertently called the “Mormon Church”) are respon­sible for their own spiritual and temporal well-being.  Blessed with the gift of agency, they have the privilege of setting their own course, solving their own prob­lems, and striving to become self-reliant.  Members do this under the inspiration of the Lord and with the labor of their own hands.

Elements of Self Reliance

Self-reliance is the ability, com­mitment, and effort to provide the necessities of life for self and family.  As members become self-reliant, they are also better able to serve and care for others.

Some of the areas in which members should become self-reliant are:

Education

Education can en­rich, ennoble, and provide under­standing that leads to a happier life. Members should study the scriptures and other good books; improve their ability to read, write, and do basic mathematics; and obtain skills needed for suit­able employment.

Health

The Lord has com­manded members to take care of their minds and bodies.  They should obey the Word of Wis­dom, eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, and get adequate sleep.  They should shun substances or practices that abuse their bodies or minds and that could lead to addiction .  They should practice good sanitation and hygiene and obtain adequate medical and den­tal care.  They should also strive to cultivate good relationships with family members and others.

Employment

Work is the foun­dation upon which self-reliance and temporal well-being rest.  Members should prepare for and carefully select a suitable occu­pation or self-employment that will provide for their own and their families’ needs.  They should become skilled at their jobs, be diligent and trustworthy, and give honest work for the pay and benefits they receive.

Home Storage

To help care for themselves and their families, members should:

• Build a three-month supply of food that is part of their normal diet.
• Store drinking water in case the water supply becomes polluted or disrupted.
• Gradually build a longer-term supply of food that will sustain life.

Finances

To become financially self-reliant, members should:

• Pay tithes and offerings.
• Avoid unnecessary debt.
• Use a budget and live within a plan.
• Gradually build a financial reserve by regularly saving a little.
• Teach family members prin­ciples of financial management.

Spiritual Strength

Spirituality is essential to a person’s temporal and eternal well-being.  Church members should exercise faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, obey God’s commandments, pray daily, study the scriptures and teachings of the latter-day proph­ets, attend Church meetings, and serve in Church callings and as­signments.

Source:  Providing in the Lord’s Way

President Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, November, 2002

Brethren, I wish to urge again the importance of self-reliance on the part of every individual Church member and family.

None of us knows when a catastrophe might strike. Sickness, injury, unemployment may affect any of us.

We have a great welfare program with facilities for such things as grain storage in various areas. It is important that we do this. But the best place to have some food set aside is within our homes, together with a little money in savings. The best welfare program is our own welfare program. Five or six cans of wheat in the home are better than a bushel in the welfare granary.

I do not predict any impending disaster. I hope that there will not be one. But prudence should govern our lives. Everyone who owns a home recognizes the need for fire insurance. We hope and pray that there will never be a fire. Nevertheless, we pay for insurance to cover such a catastrophe, should it occur.

We ought to do the same with reference to family welfare.

We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a one week’s food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. As all of you recognize, this counsel is not new. But I fear that so many feel that a long-term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.

Begin in a small way, my brethren, and gradually build toward a reasonable objective. Save a little money regularly, and you will be surprised how it accumulates.

Get out of debt and rid yourself of the terrible bondage that debt brings.

We hear much about second mortgages. Now I am told there are third mortgages.

Discipline yourselves in matters of spending, in matters of borrowing, in practices that lead to bankruptcy and the agony that comes therewith.