By Danielle Ellis

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, people began to discuss the concept of “cocooning.” By this they meant the concept of pulling back from outside activities and focusing on the family. Facing our mortality has a way of refocusing priorities. That’s good, right?

Well, every good thing that the Lord would have us do can be turned to evil if we are not vigilant. The concept of drawing near to family and loved ones became perverted into self-obsession and turning our homes into lavish retreats from reality.

Rather than drawing near to one another and the Lord, as President Hinckley often counseled, many families took President Bush’s advice to heart, borrowed in the credit boom, and bought enough toys to isolate each family member in their own part of the “retreat.” Indeed, the level of borrowing over the last seven years has brought us to the bondage and ruin we are now facing, as families and as a nation.

In the name of “staying connected” we have lost real relationships and nurturing to cryptic text messages and online video games. Under the banner of “not judging others” we have been forced into accepting anything as acceptable and even as “family;” despite the Lord’s insistence otherwise.

These seeds of destruction are now coming home to roost, with troubles unfolding that can only be described as Biblical in proportion. Wait: they are. The Lord has warned and forewarned us, by the voice of His prophets over thousands of years, that these things would come. They are coming with amazing speed, gathering momentum as they go forward.

In a breathtaking object lesson, experience is now teaching the Law of the Harvest: you reap what you have sown. Those who have preached to the world that debt can be a friend; that self-reliance is outdated in a global economy; that big government can solve your problems for you, and if it can’t there’s always a dole somewhere to help; are bringing destruction and misery to the poor souls who listened to their Siren’s Song.

By contrast, the counsel of the prophets is being vindicated every whit. Those without debt, with a supply of food tucked away, can weather financial crises. Those who know how to produce some of their own food can supplement stored food, or store purchases, if available. Those who have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide know the One True Leader whose counsel will always lead them to safety. They know where to find His counsel, through His earthly mouthpiece. They know how to listen and follow the prophet.

Our prophets warned us in 1995 about the importance of family, and “that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”). Is there any doubt we are seeing them?

Well, the Lord, in His infinite mercy, gives us so many chances to repent. All He wants is for us to turn away from the world, sin and death, and turn to Him. He wants His children to come home. If we did not do so voluntarily, by heeding the voice of His prophets over the past thirteen years, we may now be compelled to do so by our trials.

Gas prices too high to travel, fear of natural disasters, and the possibility of a long-term quarantine due to pandemic (see ProvidentLiving.org → Emergency Preparedness and Response → Emergency Preparedness Resources) may force us to repent, forsake the world, and recommit to doing whatever it takes to follow the will of the Lord.

I pray for all of us that we will see opportunity in this crisis: to humble ourselves, repent before the Lord, and to take the counsel of our living prophet.

On Sunday, September 14th, 2008, President Monson spoke to a multi-stake conference from the Conference Center and told the saints to “prepare every needful thing,” including creating a “house of glory” where prayer, fasting, and love reign, and where there is “time for Christ.”

Let’s not be duped by whatever the world presents as the solution to these problems. The Lord’s ways are not our ways, and we will find hidden blessings from taking the simple, straightforward counsel we have been given. Draw your families close around you and together draw near to the Lord.

President Monson counseled that creating a “house of God” was our “building project.” What a perfect cocoon for our families!