Just what is the Lord’s perspective on the family? Have you ever wondered? There sure seem to be a lot of people “in the world” who have opinions. Some say that families don’t matter, others say that they do. Studies show that having stable families with both a mother and a father are the healthiest for a child to grow up in; others want to contest those studies.
But what does God say – He who created us all in the first place? For those who read the scriptures, they will notice how family oriented the Bible is, for example. If you’ve not thought about this, then the next time you have a quiet moment, sit down with the Bible and flip through it. Notice how many stories are centered on families and their choices, whether for good or for ill.
Adam and Eve were the first family on earth. Notice as you read their story in Genesis and in the Pearl of Great Price, how Eve and Adam labored together. Everything they did, they did together and for a joint purpose.
Abraham and his wife are another example of the profound and extensive nature of “family”. The Lord supports all such families with life-giving commandments such as those found in Exodus 20:12, 14-17; 21:15-17.
As the Bible Dictionary points out, if families weren’t so important why are there so very many family genealogies given in the Bible’s pages?
The Lord referred to his Father. And again, as the Bible Dictionary states, “Paul and Peter gave much counsel about the duties of husbands and wives, parents and children.”
The beautiful thing that I’ve learned by being a Mormon is that not only does the Lord care about families here on the earth, but He also cares about families throughout the eternities. The Bible Dictionary defines this for us with the last sentence under the entry, “Family“:
“… (see D&C 132).”
For more information on this joyous news, feel free to click here. To read the Lord’s perspective on families, you can also study the Proclamation on the Family, given through the Lord’s mouthpiece, prophet and President Hinckley.
Families really can be together forever. For this I’m most grateful. We live in a world where a Pastor will perform a marriage with the words “…until death do you part.” This is because that is as far as his authority will go. But within the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God is given through proper priesthood channels to seal families on earth with eternal binding power. For more information, feel free to click here.
Personally this means more to me than practically anything else in my life. Why? Because I’ve lost a son. Our baby boy died of SIDS. Just as so few people can know the pain of this without having experienced it, so too can few people understand the peace that came the day before he died all the way through to after the day of the funeral. The Lord spoke to me through His Holy Spirit that all was well, that my son was well, and that my family will be together through the eternities as I embrace the Lord’s ways, His covenants, and His promises.
Oh, what a thing to celebrate. Families can be together forever!
