“My parents swear, listen to loud music, and watch inappropriate TV shows. What can I do to feel the Spirit at home, especially on Sundays?”

My parents swear, listen to loud music, and watch inappropriate TV shows. What can I do to feel the Spirit at home, especially on Sundays?

When you were baptized, you received the gift of the Holy Ghost. This means that no matter your circumstances, you can have the companionship of the Spirit if you keep yourself worthy and make good personal decisions.

As you partake of the sacrament each week, you will be reminded of your covenants with Heavenly Father to “take upon [you] the name of [His] Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments … that [you] may always have his Spirit to be with [you]” (D&C 20:77). By keeping your covenants, you stay worthy of the Spirit’s companionship.

Attending sacrament meeting and other Church meetings isn’t the only way to focus your Sunday on covenant keeping. Regardless of your home circumstances, you can show Heavenly Father your commitment to your covenants by working on your family history, studying the gospel, and serving others, especially those who are lonely or sick. Choosing these kinds of activities, even if your family members don’t, will bring you joy and rejoicing. (See Russell M. Nelson, “The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign, May 2015, 129–32.)

Speak Up

Whether or not your parents are members of the Church, talk with them about why it is important to you to always have the Spirit in your home, especially on Sundays. In your case, you can choose the calmest place in the house and invite other members of the Church to come be with you and together invite the Spirit to be there. I know that if you keep the Sabbath day holy, the Lord will bless you greatly.

Joskares C., 16, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Pray for Your Parents

You can pray for your parents. As Mormon wrote, “The Lord will remember the prayers of the righteous, which have been put up unto him for them” (Mormon 5:21). Your parents may not stop right away, but the Lord will help you.

Cole M., 17, Arizona, USA

Focus on Doing Good Things

Sundays are always hard for me at home. I’m the only member of the Church in my house, and my parents and brothers watch TV and listen to their music on the Sabbath. I want to show my love for Heavenly Father by keeping the Sabbath day holy. I’m able to go to my room and read scriptures, listen to Church music, and go on visits with my friends or with the missionaries. I am so grateful to have the Lord’s help to observe the Sabbath day diligently and for the strength He always gives me.

Lais de Jesus M., 19, Sergipe, Brazil

Use Church Resources

If you have access to a smartphone or tablet, you can download the Mormon Channel and LDS Youth apps. They’re full of wonderful songs, videos, and talks that always bring the Spirit when I play them! It’s simple, but it really helps me to feel the Spirit even when I’m surrounded by noise. It makes a difference and brings peace throughout the whole house.

HunterEve V., 16, Texas, USA

Turn to the Scriptures

Talk to your parents about the things they do, but if they don’t listen, you can pray for guidance on how to help you feel the Spirit in your home. To feel the Spirit in my home, I read the scriptures, and that brings the Spirit into the room instantly.

Blake E., 14, Utah, USA

Follow Christ’s Example

It’s important that a home be filled with the Spirit, but it’s more important that a person be filled with it. Christ was the perfect example of having the Spirit with Him all the time. Just trying to live more like Christ, being kind to others, and seeing the world the way that He would is probably the best way to keep the Spirit with you wherever you are.

Isabel W., 16, Oregon, USA

Suggest Family Activities

On Sundays, maybe suggest activities that you can do together as a family. Suggest something that the family can do to get together where those inappropriate things would not be happening. If you’re doing something together as a family, it brings you closer together. And it gives them a different idea of what you can do on Sundays. Maybe next Sunday they’ll say, “Hey, what we did last time was fun—let’s do it again.”

Ryan B., 19, Idaho, USA