Saturday, September 26, 2015

Somewhere to Belong

We live in a world where people are aching to belong somewhere. We get lonely. So many feel an emptiness inside of them that they can’t seem to fill. They try to fill it with media. They try to fill it by trying to fit in. They try to fill it with having fun. They fill it with their careers. They fill this emptiness with addiction. They try not to care that the emptiness is still there, even though deep down they do.

Why do so many feel empty? Why do they feel alone? We live in a society where the family is no longer the rule, it’s the exception. People are missing a mom, or a dad, or they’re missing both. Or they have both but are splitting time with them. Some are aching for a family to love but have lives that are lacking the opportunity. Some have found the one they love but can’t seem to make the commitment of giving their whole hearts and lives.

Divorce rates have risen. The age at which people get married has risen. Extramarital intimacy has risen. The number of children families choose to have has fallen.

What can be done? Children deserve to be born into homes and families that will love them with all of their hearts. A man deserves to have a wife who will respect him and be loyal to him. He deserves to feel loved and worthy of that love. A woman deserves to have a husband who is head over heels in love with her. She deserves to be taken care of and to be able to take care of those that she loves.

Families are the only places that these special experiences can exist. Families teach us to truly and deeply love others. Families teach us to forgive. Families teach us to be selfless and to take care of another in their need.

What can you do? Love your family. Be there for them. Love your friends who do not have a family. Be their family and show them what that really means.


Our world deserves more love. It deserves more selflessness. It deserves more forgiveness, more understanding. Our world needs more family. Everyone deserves to belong somewhere. 

Monday, September 21, 2015

Hello all! My name is Brianna Ausen and I LOVE family. I have been blessed to grow up in an incredible family with great parents. I am excited to be starting this journey with my husband as well. I know that family not only brings great joy, but it is an essential aspect to our personal growth and becoming more like Jesus Christ. I'm currently a junior studying at Brigham Young University-Idaho majoring in Marriage and Family. The things I am learning are touching my heart and I feel that they need be passed on to a world that is in desperate need of hope, light, and love.