Family is often a hard topic for me to read or hear about in
church. I am single and almost 40. To me, that number basically signifies that
I will never have biological children of mine own. While I don’t begrudge
others their beautiful families, I also sometimes just need a break from
hearing about kids and babies. I have read many talks on families over the last
few months and I see a trend of non-traditional families being mentioned more
and more. My situation is so common, along with divorce and single parent
families and other less than ideal situations. We may not all have what we
wanted in this life, but I know the Lord knows my situation and He has provided
me with a family in different ways. Through nieces and nephews, my friend’s
children, and kids in my ward, I have still been given the opportunity to help
raise children and have an influence in their lives.
"In recent meetings with the First Presidency, they have expressed concern about the deterioration of the family. Their mandate to the Priesthood Executive Council was to concentrate on the family in our assignments. In response to the First Presidency, many plans and efforts are already in place. We will use all of the resources we have to encourage greater harmony, greater love, and greater influence in the Lord’s special designated unit—the family. We need to make our homes a place of refuge from the storm, which is increasing in intensity all about us. Even if the smallest openings are left unattended, negative influences can penetrate the very walls of our homes."
"I believe the mission statement for mortality might be 'to
build an eternal family'. Here on this earth we strive to become part of
extended families with the ability to create and form our own part of those
families. That is one of the reasons our Heavenly Father sent us here. Not
everyone will find a companion and have a family in mortality, but everyone,
regardless of individual circumstances, is a precious member of God’s family."
"While our individual salvation is based on our individual
obedience, it is equally important that we understand that we are each an
important and integral part of a family and the highest blessings can be
received only within an eternal family. When families are functioning as
designed by God, the relationships found therein are the most valued of
mortality. The plan of the Father is that family love and companionship will
continue into the eternities. Being one in a family carries a great
responsibility of caring, loving, lifting, and strengthening each member of the
family so that all can righteously endure to the end in mortality and dwell
together throughout eternity. It is not enough just to save ourselves. It is
equally important that parents, brothers, and sisters are saved in our
families. If we return home alone to our Heavenly Father, we will be asked, 'Where is the rest of the family?' This is why we teach that families are
forever. The eternal nature of an individual becomes the eternal nature of the
family."
"The words of living prophets are clear regarding our sacred
duty to strengthen our families spiritually. In 1995 the First Presidency and
the Council of the Twelve Apostles issued a proclamation to the world,
declaring that 'the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal
destiny of His children. … Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to
love and care for each other and for their children. … 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,
[and] to observe the commandments of God' "
"We have programs and activities in both the family and the
Church. Each is so interrelated that service to one is service to the other.
When children see their parents faithfully perform Church callings, it
strengthens their family relationships. When families are strong, the Church is
strong. The two run in parallel. Each is important and necessary, and each must
be conducted with careful concern for the other. Church programs and activities
should not be so all-encompassing that families cannot have everyone present
for family time. And family activities should not be scheduled in conflict with
sacrament meeting or other vital Church meetings.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Priesthood Authority in the Familyand the Church”, October 2005
"The ultimate purpose of every teaching, every activity in
the Church is that parents and their children are happy at home, sealed in an
eternal marriage, and linked to their generations."
"When I think of the love I feel for each member of our
family, I sense, to a slight degree, the love that our Heavenly Father bears
for His children. While the family is under attack throughout the world, The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims, promotes, and protects
the truth that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal
destiny of His children. 'The Family: A Proclamation to the World' and our vast
family history efforts are but two evidences of how this Church brings hope and
help to the sacred institution of the family."
"And, of course, societies at large are strengthened as
families grow stronger. Commitments to family and values are the basic cause.
Nearly everything else is effect. When couples marry and make commitments to
each other, they greatly increase their chances of economic well-being. When
children are born in wedlock and have both a mom and a dad, their opportunities
and their likelihood of occupational success skyrocket. And when families work
and play together, neighborhoods and communities flourish, economies improve, and
less government and fewer costly safety nets are required."
"Faithful attendance at Church, together with careful
attention to the needs of the family, is a near-perfect combination. In Church
we are taught the Great Plan of Happiness. At home we apply what we have
learned. Every call, every service in the Church brings experience and valuable
insights which carry over into family life. Would our perspective be more clear if we could, for a
moment, look upon parenthood as a calling in the Church. Actually, it is so
much more than that; but if we could look at it that way for a moment, we could
reach a better balance in the way we schedule families."
"I testify that I know that God, our Heavenly Father, lives
and that he loves us and that he knows us. I know that Jesus Christ lives and
that we will be resurrected and can be sanctified because of his sacrifice. I
testify that we can know the truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. I know that
we can live together in families in eternal life, the greatest of all the gifts
of God. I pray that we may, with all our hearts for all our lives, offer
testimony of the truth to our families."
President Henry B. Eyring, “A Legacy of Testimony” April
1996 
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