Creating and Perfecting Families

In a reading I did this morning for my Strengthening Marriage and Family Class, this quote stood out to me:

“There is nothing in this world as important as the creation and perfection of family units” -Elder Bruce R. McConkie.

Bruce R. McConkie teaches us of two things that are of vital importance in this life:
1.) Creating family units
2.) Perfecting family units

The idea of perfecting the family unit is very beautiful to me. Every family has struggles- whether they struggle with each other, or they struggle together against hard situations life has dealt them.

In the Book of Mormon, we learn about a father named Lehi who passed through struggles with his family. There were times his family struggled with contention, times they had to sacrifice together, and times they just had to do really, really hard things together.

Our families go through similar experiences and trials.

At one point, Lehi is talking to his young son, Jacob. Jacob was born in the wilderness, in a time of great sorrow for Lehi and his family. Not only did he grow up in the wild, but Jacob had struggled a lot because of the way his older brothers treated him. ("...And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren." -2 Nephi 2:1) It sounds like a very extreme case of a younger brother being bullied by older brothers.

Yet despite living in the wild, being hungry, and seeing his sons constantly fighting and causing contention in the family, Lehi knew that he was expected (as we are) to work on perfecting his family. I can imagine this could seem like a daunting task for a parent. But the source of hope: Christ. Jesus Christ is the only one who can perfect us as individuals and as families.

I love these words of comfort that Lehi gives to young Jacob:

"Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain" -2 Nephi 2:2

There is nothing as meaningful and important in this life as creating and perfecting ourselves and our families! It will not be an easy journey for any of us. But the great comfort is that Christ is the one who can perfect us, and he will help us. He will consecrate all of the hard and unfair things we face in this life to be for our gain! That means that the struggles we go through can actually benefit us, and turn from sour to sweet as we are healed and changed by Jesus Christ. I know that he truly can perfect our families- slowly but surely- if we turn to him and invite him into every aspect of our lives. Only he can make bitter turn to sweet. He can make our family become our heaven.






To read the article I read this morning, called "Marriage and the Great Plan of Happiness" by Elder Joe. J. Christensen, click here: https://www.lds.org/ensign/1995/05/marriage-and-the-great-plan-of-happiness?lang=eng&query=Joe+J.+Christensen