I look forward to Sunday each week. I enjoy going to church to take the Sacrament. It is my chance to spiritually renew myself each week. After a long stressful week it is nice to be surrounded by friends who understand my beliefs and support me during my trials. But sometimes I can’t make it to church on Sunday. Generally this is because we have little ones who are ill or I am ill, since we try to attend church even when we are out of town. On those weeks I have to work extra hard so that I don’t lose the Spirit.
One of the things that really help is to take the time to read the lessons that you are missing. For Relief Society and Priesthood this is fairly easy to do. For Sunday school you can usually read the assigned scriptures, but if they are short you may want to glance over the online manual to help me know you have missed.
Another thing that can help is to take time to pray along. Although it is not the same as taking the Sacrament, kneeling and saying a prayer about renewing your Sacrament covenants can help you have the same Spirit. This will give you the same time to contemplate the things that you can work on throughout the week.
It is also important to create a different atmosphere in your home on a Sunday. This may mean playing church music at home instead of your usual music. It can also mean turning off the television and refraining from your usual activities. This will help you to still feel as though you are having your day of rest.
Finally you may consider switching off with your spouse. If you live close enough to the chapel to make this feasible you could attend Sacrament meeting, and then your spouse could go to Sunday school and the other meetings. Or you could do it in reverse. This way you both have some of the benefits of attending church, and you children are still at home.
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