A Change....



The Tennessee Nashville Temple

Let me ask you, if I may be so bold, as to what you love and value most in life? What do you put before everything else? What is the first thing you are you not going to give up without a fight?



For me, the answer is family. I don't have a lot of things in this world, but I would have nothing at all if I didn't have the people I love.

We know through the Bible that families are ordained of God, they being central to the Plan of Happiness which God has for us. We know that they are meant to be a place of safety and refuge from the world, bound in righteousness.

From the Prophet and Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" is more then just wise council... It is a warning call, a plead to remember the family and its importance. Go ahead and read it real quick, its not that long and this can wait a second...



 I had the opportunity to go to the temple the other day. I went through, learning much and feeling the spirit, and had time to myself in the Celestial room.


When I went to the temple, I went with many questions that I was seeking personal revelation for. I went hoping in some way to feel my burdens lightened in the house of the Lord. I left feeling fulfilled, and uplifted.


As I was leaving, I passed by the Sealing room where families are bound together by the authority and power that God has delegated to man. This sealing is done not just for the duration of our earthly lives, but done for time and all eternity. I paused at the door, absolutely caught with a flood of memories of my family and the vision of the family I someday hope to have.

When a bride and groom are married in a civil union, we often find the words, "till death do you part" emblazoned somewhere near the end of the officiators words. The happy couple proceeds on to enjoy a wonderful life together, full of challenges and and opportunities for growth, but most especially happiness and peace and joy. Children come, the family grows, and the love that once was only contained by two is multiplied and is filled over capacity. All is well, a "happily ever after" if you will.

The question that comes to my mind is, "How long do you want 'Ever After' to be?"

I KNOW that through the same power and authority that Christ gave Peter in Matthew 16:19, we have the opportunity and blessing to be with our families for eternity. Not just for life, but forever. That marriage and families can be recognized in heaven and on the earth through the Sealing power, that whatever is, "bound on earth shall be bound in heaven" as in the Sealing ordinances found only within the House of the Lord.

I love a song that's been sung to me since I was first adopted and sealed to my family:



I have a family here on earth.
They are so good to me.
I want to share my life with them through all eternity.

Families can be together forever
Through Heavenly Father’s plan.
I always want to be with my own family,
And the Lord has shown me how I can.

While I am in my early years,
I’ll prepare most carefully,
So I can marry in God’s temple for eternity

Families can be together forever
Through Heavenly Father’s plan.
I always want to be with my own family,
And the Lord has shown me how I can.

The value and importance of the family is too important to settle for anything less then everything. My family does and will mean more to me then anything else that I can think of. That is a priority that cannot be compromised. This is because I know that a family living righteous principles, being united by the common goal of being together after this life, is a family built upon a sure foundation. It is a family that will grow and stay close together, and it is a family that will find joy and peace within its walls, and it is a family that will be blessed with the Spirit of the Lord.

My challenge to you is to make an eternal family a goal and priority of yours as well.