Break-Line.net

Is is so obvious that the great good and the terrible evil in the world today are the sweet and the bitter fruits of the rearing of yesterday’s children. As we train a new generation, so will the world be in a few years. If you are worried about the future, the look to the upbringing of your children. Wisely did the writer of Proverbs declare, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

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Do you want a spirit of love to grow in the world? Then begin within the walls of your own home. Behold your little ones, and see within them the wonders of God, from whose presence they have recently come.

— Gordon B. Hinkley

In the early church, Paul wrote to Timothy, ‘If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.’ (1 Tim. 5:8.) It is our sacred duty to care for our families, including our extended families. Often we see what might be called parent neglect. Too frequently, the emotional, social, and, in some instances, even the material essentials are not provided by children for their aged parents. This is displeasing to the Lord. It is difficult to understand how one mother can take care of seven children more easily than seven children can take care of one mother. President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., gave clear direction on this matter: ‘The prime responsibility for supporting an aged parent rests upon [the] family, not upon society. . . . The family which refuses to keep its own is not meeting its duty.’ (In Conference Report, April 1938, p. 107.)

– Thomas S. Monson, (“Guiding Principles of Personal and Family Welfare,” Ensign, Sept. 1986, 4)

It is easy to apply this same principle to other areas as well such as welfare, health care, etc.

Your most important friendships should be with your own brothers and sisters and with your father and mother. Love your family. Be loyal to them. Have a genuine concern for your brothers and sisters. Help carry their load so you can say, like the lyrics of that song, ‘He ain’t heavy; he’s my brother.’

– Ezra Taft Benson, To the Youth of the Noble Birthright, Ensign, May 1986, 43

I know this is important, but it’s difficult to actually achieve. My parents, brothers, and sisters are spread out all over the country. We don’t live near each other, travel is expensive, everyone is on different cell phone plans, most aren’t willing or capable of using the Internet as a daily means of communication … I can go on and on. How do you maintain these important friendships in the world we live in today? To me, the answer is the Internet: eMail, voip phones, video sharing, file sharing, shared calendars, web forums, web photo galleries, etc. So far, it’s proven impossible to get everyone on board. I don’t think even one person in my family reads my blog, not even my wife.

I’m open to suggestions.

The purpose of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to help all of the children of God understand their potential and achieve their highest destiny. This church exists to provide the sons and daughters of God with the means of entrance into and exaltation in the celestial kingdom. This is a family-centered church in doctrine and practices. . . . Our theology begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them. Under the merciful plan of the Father, all of this is possible through the atonement of the Only Begotten of the Father, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. . . . The fulness of eternal salvation is a family matter.

- Dallin H. Oaks, Apostasy and Restoration, Ensign, May 1995, 87

The opposition to this belief both surprises me and at the same time does not surprise me.

The opposition is surprising because this doctrine is common sense. It fits the pattern. It’s a natural extension to the story of Adam and Eve. It just … fits.

The opposition is not surprising because Satan is opposed to this plan. It is his plan that we NOT return to our Father in Heaven. And so, he creates opposition, disbelief, doubt, fear, hate, etc.

In latter-day revelation the Lord speaks again of this obligation. He said, ‘Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else’ (D&C 42:22). To my knowledge there is only one other thing in all scripture that we are commanded to love with all our hearts, and that is God Himself. Think what that means!

What does it mean to love someone with all your heart? It means to love with all your emotional feelings and with all your devotion. Surely when you love your wife with all your heart, you cannot demean her, criticize her, find fault with her, or abuse her by words, sullen behavior, or actions.

What does it mean to ‘cleave unto her’? It means to stay close to her, to be loyal and faithful to her, to communicate with her, and to express your love for her.

Love means being sensitive to her feelings and needs. She wants to be noticed and treasured. She wants to be told that you view her as lovely and attractive and important to you. Love means putting her welfare and self-esteem as a high priority in your life.

- Ezra Taft Benson (“To the Fathers in Israel,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 50)

Husbands, you have been entrusted with the most sacred gift God can give you—a wife, a daughter of God, the mother of your children who has voluntarily given herself to you for love and joyful companionship. Think of the kind things you said when you were courting, think of the blessings you have given with hands placed lovingly upon her head, think of yourself and of her as the god and goddess you both inherently are, and then reflect on other moments characterized by cold, caustic, unbridled words. Given the damage that can be done with our tongues, little wonder the Savior said, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”5 A husband who would never dream of striking his wife physically can break, if not her bones, then certainly her heart by the brutality of thoughtless or unkind speech. Physical abuse is uniformly and unequivocally condemned in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If it is possible to be more condemning than that, we speak even more vigorously against all forms of sexual abuse. Today, I speak against verbal and emotional abuse of anyone against anyone, but especially of husbands against wives. Brethren, these things ought not to be.

- Jeffrey R. Holland, The Tongue of Angels