We had the Missionaries over for dinner tonight. The young Elders are wonderful examples to the world. I pray that I can raise my girls up to be shining Christ like young ladies. Tonight after dinner, the elders showed us a 6 minute video of the conversion of a family here in California. In the video the lady that was baptized talked about knowing that her family would be together for time and all eternity. What an amazing thing to know. I have a sign over my couch that says, "Families Are Forever", and I read it every day. But am I truly aware of what that means? I have an eternal family. What a blessing.
The family is ordained of God. It is the most important unit in time and in eternity. Even before we were born on the earth, we were part of a family. Each of us “is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents” with “a divine nature and destiny” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World).
God is our Heavenly Father, and we lived in His presence as part of His family in the premortal life. Funny how premortal is not a word that my spell check recognizes. Funny how outside of our faith, the idea of a premortal existence does not exist. How many people would find understanding in why we are here on earth if they only knew of the premortal life. Anyway, I thought that interesting as I sit here and type that spell check is not recognizing "premortal". Funny.
God declared, "This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man". Because of his eternal love for each of us, he created a plan, "The plan of Salvation", or "The plan of Happiness". This plan brought us to this earth, gave us the beautiful gift of a body and and a place where we would be tested to progress and become more like him. The purpose of all of this is to lead us to eternal life, God's greatest and most precious gift to us. Through this plan, we can return to God''s presence and receive the "fullness of joy".
Where does family come into all of this?
"As part of our Heavenly Father’s plan, we were born into families. He established families to bring us happiness, to help us learn correct principles in a loving atmosphere, and to prepare us for eternal life."
In a world of turmoil and uncertainty, it is more important than ever to make our families the center of our lives and the top of our priorities. Families lie at the center of our Heavenly Father’s plan. This statement from “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” declares the responsibilities of parents to their families:
“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. ‘Children are an heritage of the Lord’ (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.”
I am so thankful that I have been blessed with a family. I thank the Lord each day for the joy they bring to me. I want them with me always. Knowing about and understanding that Families are Forever brings me such comfort and joy. More then I have words to express.
How wonderful it is to know where I came from, who I am, why I am here on earth and where I am going. And knowing who I will be going with.
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| My World |
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| My Eternal Companion |
