Marriage & Family - Ordained of God

“God intended the family to be eternal. With all my soul, I testify to the truth of that declaration. May He bless us to strengthen our homes and the lives of each family member so that in due time we can report to our Heavenly Father in His celestial home that we are all there—father, mother, sister, brother, all who hold each other dear. Each chair is filled. We are all back home.” I love this quote! I cannot imagine anything more comforting as a parent who has lost a child than to know that families can be together forever! I look forward with sweet anticipation to the time I can be with all my children again - each chair filled! This quote and also the quotes below come from Teachings of the Presidents of the Church - Ezra Taft Benson, Lesson 14.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always placed great importance on the family. It was 100 years ago that the Church asked its members to have family home evening. Here is a link to the First Presidency letter introducing it. I love the promise they give if we follow their counsel. President Thomas S. Monson has said this about family home evening, “We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program. It can bring spiritual growth to each member of the family, helping him or her to withstand the temptations which are everywhere. The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest.”

In his April 2003 General Conference talk, Elder L. Tom Perry said, "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. . . . 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."

In light of recent events with regard to marriage here in the United States, I love the timing of Lesson 13 on the temple and Lesson 14 on marriage and family. They are great reminders of those things which should be most important to us now and forever! President Benson said, "Marriage, the home, and family are more than mere social institutions. They are divine, not man-made." The will of God cannot be changed by the will of man.

President Boyd K. Packer said, "World leaders and court judges agree that the family must endure if we are to survive. At the same time, they use the words freedom and choice as tools to pry apart the safeguards of the past and loosen up the laws on marriage, abortion, and gender. In so doing, they promote the very things which threaten the family."

It is unbelievable that these words were spoken in 1994! Is there any doubt that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is led by prophets and apostles of God?!