The Family Can Be Eternal

Dear Sisters, 


Thank you Lexi Perry for leading a great discussion on how we can help strengthen our families and prepare them for eternal life.  


Gospel Principles lesson #36  "The Family Can Be Eternal"


Here is a brief synopsis of the lesson:



Why is the home the best place to prepare for eternal life?
 President David O. McKay said, “With all my heart I believe that the best place to prepare for … eternal life is in the home
At home, with our families, we can learn self-control, sacrifice, loyalty, and the value of work. We can learn to love, to share, and to serve one another.

The Eternal Family

Families can be together forever. To enjoy this blessing we must be married in the temple. When people are married outside the temple, the marriage ends when one of the partners dies. When we are married in the temple by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, we are married for time and eternity. If we keep our covenants with the Lord, our families will be united eternally as husband, wife, and children. Death cannot separate us.

How to Have a Successful Family

President Harold B. Lee taught, “The most important of the Lord’s work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee [2000], 134).

Satan knows how important families are to our Heavenly Father’s plan. He seeks to destroy them by keeping us from drawing near to the Lord. He will tempt us to do things that will draw our families apart.

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles declared, “Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.”

The family is the most important unit in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church exists to help families gain eternal blessings and exaltation. The organizations and programs within the Church are designed to strengthen us individually and help us live as families forever.

Here are some ways to help strengthen your families: 

1. 1. 
   Have family prayer every night and morning (see 3 Nephi 18:21). Pray together as husband and wife.
2. 2. 
   Teach children the gospel every week in family home evening.
3. 3. 
   Study the scriptures regularly as a family.
4. 4. 
   Do things together as a family, such as work projects, outings, and decision making.
5. 5. 
   Learn to be kind, patient, long-suffering, and charitable (see Moroni 7:45–48).
6. 6. 
   Attend Church meetings regularly (see D&C 59:9–10).
7. 7. 
   Follow the counsel of the Lord in D&C 88:119: “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.”
8. 8. 
   Keep a family history, perform temple work together, and receive the sealing ordinances of the temple.