As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe in the account found in the Old Testament in Amos 3:7:

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”

Mormon Family DinnerAs latter-day saints, or Mormons as so many call us, we do believe in prophets – those who are called of God as was Aaron in ancient days (see Hebrews 5:4).

Our current prophet and President of the Church is President Gordon B. Hinckley. And part of his responsibility, other than overseeing the direction of the Lord’s worldwide church, is to the earth’s inhabitants as the Lord’s official mouthpiece.

Thus, President Hinckley has taught many important truths. Amongst those, he has warned and continues to warn along these lines regarding the break up of the family – an institution established by God and viewed by Him as sacred.

President Hinckley has stated:

“The family is falling apart all over the world. The old ties that bound together father and mother and children are breaking everywhere … Hearts are broken; children weep” (Ensign, Nov 1995, 102).

It is easy to see the results. Much as an egg falls from the counter to the floor, leaving cracked shells and an icky mess, so too are many families. They are falling from the counters of safety society had in place for centuries to the cold hardness of a rocky surface below.

While sociologists may argue for years why the demise is occurring so rapidly, what really matters is that we actually save the family structure the Lord has set in place, starting with our own at home.

This requires many things, but amidst those things comes a sweet spirit of peace when we do it the way the Lord set out.

What is that way? We can read of it in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” first announced September 23, 1995 at the General Relief Society Meeting broadcast worldwide. The Proclamation contains urgent and essential knowledge about how to strengthen families; here, in a brief paragraph from that Proclamation, is a good start and example:

“Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome activities.”

Of course, it takes more than a few days of effort to apply these qualities into a family. But little by little soon becomes a lot! So why not take one quality and focus on it per each month in the coming year? It requires faith to begin (the first quality mentioned), but faith is always rewarded by the Lord.

So a good starting place is to each evening and each morning pray to your Father in Heaven. Thank Him for what you do have and then ask for a successful marriage and family. As you then seek to feel and see His influence in your life, He will begin to share with you impressions and ideas how to bring this about.

Families CAN be beautiful. I know, because I am living in one – just the other evening I heard my children singing with my husband a sweet children’s Sunday song. The song had broken out spontaneously, yet filled our home with a piece of joy that remained for the rest of the evening.

Yes, indeed the Lord uses prophets to bless us. One way they bless us is by teaching what makes a family work. Begin today to try adding just a few of the qualities mentioned above – I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised how well they work!

(To be able to actually read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” simply click here.)

About Cindy B

Copyright © 2024 LDS Blogs. All Rights Reserved.
This website is not owned by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. The views expressed by individual users are the responsibility of those users and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. For the official Church websites, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org.