The Family: A Proclamation to the World came out in 1995 the
year after I was born. To me it is amazing that it came out then because many
of the attacks in regards to the family were not a huge struggle then. However,
for me it goes to show how the Lord does what he can to prepare us for any time
of turmoil that is to come and it helps strengthen my personal testimony of
revelation from Modern day prophets.
The Family: A Proclamation to the World is a guide given to
families and helps provide guidance, light, hope and truth in a time of chaos. The
family unit is under attack. Children are viewed as a burden, the role of men
and women is being tainted with anger that demands equality and does not accept
divine differences. Divorce is seen as a way out and the acceptance of same sex
marriage has escalated as well as cohabitation before marriage.
This prophecy provides understanding of these importance
concepts and helps me to understand how important the family is. It will not
always be easy to defend the family but it will be worth it and you will be
blessed.
The concept of the family in the church plays a large role
in my life. Because while this prophecy was not noted when my mother joined the
church one of the things that attracted her to the church originally was the
strong sense of family that emulated from the gospel. Her righteous desire to
have a strong family unit rooted in truth has blessed our family as well as
future posterity.
Knowing what I do from The Family: A Proclamation to the
World helps me feel like I have guidance in my future family and endeavors. It
also helps me to understand the divine qualities that have been given to me by
the Lord as a daughter of God and helps me to understand the qualities I want
my future husband to have as a son of God. This Proclamation gives me strength
to know that with my husband and the Lord we will be able to raise our children
in a home that is a sanctuary and full of light and love for them.
Knowledge of this truth deserves to be shared and when we
have true conviction about the Family Unit then we will want to share it with
all of those around us. Teaching others can sometimes seem overbearing and
scary, we want to make sure that we handle these situations with grace and love
but still be strong in our belief, just as the Savior would be. Like D&C
38:41 says, “And let your preaching be the warning voice, every man to his
neighbor, in mildness and meekness. One amazing way we can share and defend
these truths comes from living them out fully with in our own lives. However, there are also many other ways we
can share these truths or encourage those who live these truths. I think we
often think that we have to reach out to those who are not in our faith and
while that is super important we need not forget about our own friends or ward
family when defending and teaching truths of The Family: A Proclamation to the
World.
Defending the Proclamation can be done in many ways,
expressing concern of a friend deciding on cohabitation. We can explain the
negative statistics that coexist with it as well as our own personal
convictions on the matter. We can give hope to those we know who have forgone
an abortion in difficult situations. We can reach out to teach about
forgiveness of another family member.
Simple conversations plant a seed and while it may not bloom
in this life it helps to create comfort and peace in the lives of others as
well as a deeper understanding of the Family.
To read this document in better font and look up information on the Family or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints please look at this link.
https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng
