As a little girl, my family was the most important thing in my life. My daddy was my hero. He made me feel secure and safe. My mother, I adored in reverence as I watched her sacrifice for us daily, working hard and tirelessly to keep a clean home and prepare meals for our family. As sisters, we used to talk about being each other's arms and legs. We were so close and there was nothing that was as important to us, as our family.
I believed however, that there could only be one talent in each category in a family: one artist, one dancer, one singer. We had one of each, so I couldn’t also be one of those. Who was I then? What talent did I have to make me special?
I thought that there could only be one child that could be loved the most, favored above all others. It was obvious to me that the first born and the baby were the blessed ones in our family. I wasn’t either. As we grew, the sibling rivalry changed the dynamics of our family, and the foundation fell out from beneath us when Dad died. My family was lost forever I thought, because I did not know God’s plan for families.
Years later, my husband and I joined the Church and were soon blessed with our own family. I began to see the family in an entirely different perspective once I had embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I began to understand how much I was valued and how abundant my gifts and talents are, even if someone else has that talent, and how great my worth is, even though someone else is of great worth. There is an abundance of ALL, because love is unlimited and eternal.
I don't believe I fully understood love however, until I was able to give ALL of myself to my own family, like my parents had. Suddenly I saw my mother in a different light as I found myself modeling her in many ways.
I will admit that I didn't comprehend "unconditional love" until I experienced the intensity of sorrow within my own child’s life. I didn't understand the full depth and breadth of love that our Father in Heaven and our Savior have for us, until then.
God gave us families because it is within those families that we learn these truths, where we learn how to love and be loved, the need for repentance, and the miracle of forgiveness.
"The most important cause of our lifetime is our families. If we devote ourselves to this cause, we will improve every other aspect of our lives and will become, as a people and as a church, an example and a beacon for all people of the earth." M. Russell Ballard, April 1, 2012 General Conference.
I believe it is so vital that we do all that we can within our own homes, to create an environment where each one is loved, respected, and nurtured as an individual. We must cultivate a foundation of trust, confidence, mutual support, and encouragement, as well as a dedication to selflessly serving one another. Only then, as Elder Ballard expressed, will we improve every other aspect of our lives that we may become a light and an example to others both within and outside of our own homes.
We are all gaining a greater appreciation of families in Primary this year, and the importance of our role in them, as part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for us, being sensitive to the different family situations. In “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”, we are taught that “Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and...the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”
God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be--
This is how He shares His love,
for the family is of God.
- The Family is of God, The Friend, October 2008, Words and music by Matthew Neeley
