Why are families so important to us? Well we believe that Heavenly
Father sent us here to earth to have the opportunity to have a family
within the bonds of marriage. We know and believe that marriage is
between a man and a woman. It is in these families that we will be able
to one day return to live with God. Families are not just meant to be on
earth but they are also meant to exist in heaven. This can only be
achieved in holy temples where covenants and ordinances can be performed
by the proper authority. It is in a family that we develop the
attributes Jesus Christ has. We believe that Adam and Eve where the
first family on earth, together they were able to move forward. That’s
how we want our marriages and families to be, we want them to be able to
move forward together through the trails and challenges that will come.
There is no such thing as a perfect family but a family can be
perfected if together they use the gift of the Holy Ghost and the help
of Heavenly Father to help them get through challenges. It is not a
coincidence that society’s biggest organization is the family unit. This
was intended all along. We also believe that this earth was created
for the family, it was created as a place where families could reside
and be tested. A family is the most sacred thing we can obtain in this
life, it is the only thing besides our knowledge that we will be able to
take with us if we are worth after death. The church and the gospel of
Jesus Christ are tools to help the family learn truths and principles
that will help them progress towards exaltation.
(Hawkins ch 32, Eternal Family: A Plain and Precious part of the Plan of Salvation)
There are no roles small or big in the family. Every role is important and is a key ingredient in the makeup of the family.
speaking on the importance of motherhood Joseph F. Smith reminds us " To do well those things which God ordained to be the common lot of all man-kind, is the truest greatness. To be a successful father or a successful mother is greater than to be a successful general or a successful statesman. One i universal and eternal greatness, the other is ephemeral."
Elder M Russell Ballard has taught " The family is where the foundation of personal, spiritual growth is built and nurtured; the Church, then, is the scaffolding that helps support and strengthen the family."
As the statement mentioned above explains, families are truly important because it is where most of the teaching, loving, caring and learning happens, The home is the first school children will ever attend. As we embarck on this quest for the next three months, together we will learn many key aspects of family life and how we can help our family be more unified despite the ups and downs it will face.
