In The Family: A Proclamation to the World, the family is declared as "central to the creator's plan for the eternal destiny of his children." The organization of the family has been a part of the Lord's plan and creation since the very beginning of time, and in at the center of His plan for us. My intended audience has been fellow Latter-day Saints, but anyone can learn more about the Plan of Salvation here. :)
* the original image can be found here
My intent is this blog entry is to share my personal testimony of the eternal family as a part of God's plan. My hope is that it may touch your own heart, and strengthen (or be the start to growing) your own testimony.
In the beginning, God created us, His spirit children. He is our Father, and we are all a part of His family. Marriage and family has been a part of His plan, and was instituted in the beginning. The Lord created the earth as a place for families to go, to learn and progress; a place where we could experience trials and tribulations, and experience joy. He knew that we could not experience this fullness without a family. Though we are imperfect, the Savior has made it possible, through His Atonement, for us to return to our Father in Heaven - as a family, to live together eternally. Marriage and families are able to be made eternal through a sealing on earth and in heaven, which is made possible through the priesthood, and temple covenants. As we remain faithful to our covenants, His promised blessings will be ours, and we can be a family eternally, and receive a fullness of joy.
Elder Hugh B. Brown once stated:
"The family concept is one of the major and most important of the whole theological doctrine. In fact, our very concept of heaven itself is the projection of the home into eternity. Salvation, then, is essentially a family affair, and full participation in the plan of salvation can be had only in family units."
It is my testimony that all that I have shared is true. Outside of my relationship with the Lord, there is nothing that means more to me than my family. They have been the very reason for almost everything I have ever chosen to do that is good in my life, including the decision to serve a full-time mission. They are my everything, and I know I can be with them eternally as I remain faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We may not be perfect, but we can be perfected through Him and His Atonement, and find great joy individually and as families.
My prayer is that we can all experience the joy of family life, and never let anything come between us that hinders us from reaching our divine potential as a family unit. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and my family with all my heart, and will do whatever it takes to be with them forever, because I know that it is where true joy and love is found.
Here is an old photo of me and my beautiful family:
And as an additional resource, I wanted to share one of my favorite videos on personal testimony of the Plan of Salvation:
