Why Do We Make Covenants?

Gospel Ordinances and Covenants

Teaching Moments

The best part of this class has been the opportunity I have had to share what I've learned with my daughters.  We had such a great Family Home Evening.  We discussed putting on the armor of God and defending marriage, family and our divine nature.  These sweet girls of mine seem to get it.  I'm grateful to be there mother and am able to teach them to understand who they are and the role they play on this earth.  They are going to be great mother's someday.  

Gender

"Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, 

mortal, and eternal identity and purpose and in large measure 

defines who we are, why we are here upon the earth, 

and what we are to do and become.  

For divine purposes, male and female spirits are 

different, distinctive, and complementary."

-David A. Bednar

Society is trying to blur the lines of gender.  I have been lucky to raise 4 beautiful daughters.  No boys.  Each one of them is different from each other but I have watched them grow and see their characteristics blossom.  They are learning their eternal idetnity and purpose.  

They know they are DAUGHTER's of our Heavenly Father.  

I am so grateful to be able to raise these girls and help them discover what their purpose is

and how different and distinctive they are from boys.

Gender and Eternal Identity

This week we are studying about gender and eternal identity.  Society has tried to blurr the lines of what gender is.  They don't see it as something divine and from God, they see it as a hurtle to overcome.  Society wants you to believe that if you aren't happy with yourself then you can just go ahead and decide to be something you are not.  After reading words from our General authorities and scriptures, I can truly say that I believe that we are divine spirits that have been given a specific gender that we are to love and cherish and use to fulfill our divine nature.

Marriage - A HOT Topic

Marriage has been the hot topic for a while  now in our society.  There are those who have been fighting for gay marriage and those who feel that marriage is between a man and a woman.  Those that believe marriage is between a man and a woman have been accused of hatred towards those with same-gender attraction.  The church has taken a stand that marriage is between a man and a woman which I completely support.  They have also taken a stand that we should love others as Christ does.  In my Eternal Families class we were able to read an interview of Elder Oaks and Elder Wickman on the topic of same-gender attraction.  It is VERY long but so worth the read.  As I read the words of these two men, I could feel the love that they have for everyone, just as the Savior does.  This is a sensitive issue and I was grateful to read such loving words of explanation and advice.  Here is the link if you are interested in reading it.

Interview with Elder Oaks and Elder Wickman

Eternal Marriage!

One day I experienced this cartoon.  I was out grocery shopping and my husband was at home.  I had called him about something and we got in a little argument.  I was annoyed the rest of my shopping trip and I knew he was too.  When I got home though, he came out (without saying a word to each other) and helped me unload the car.  

Even though we have made covenants to be married for eternity doesn't mean it's always perfect.  But with the right perspective and the understanding of our Heavenly Father's plan, we work at it.

The Divine Institution that is Essential to His Eternal Plan

Being Married for almost 20 years, I have found that Marriage is a gift from our Heavenly Father.  It has not always been easy or felt like a gift but in those 20 years we have grown as a couple and have a better understanding of what this plan is about and how important our marriage is.

Elder Parly P. Pratt expressed his feelings after learning about the importance of Marriage from Joseph Smith.

"It was from him that I learned that the wife 

of my bosom might be secured to me for time 

and all eternity; and that the refined 

sympathies and affections which endeared 

us to each other emanated from the 

fountain of divine eternal love . . .

"I had loved before, but I knew not why.  

But now I loved-with a pureness-an intensity 

of elevated, exalted feeling, which would lift 

my soul from the transitory things of this 

grovelling sphere and expand it as the ocean. . . .

In short, I could now love with the spirit and 

with the understanding also."

Marriage

This semester I am taking an eternal families class through BYU-I online.  For my project I chose to do a blog to share what I am learning in this course, my testimony of eternal families and how it is part of our Heavenly Father's plan.  And I might just add in a few things about my own family and what we are doing to be an eternal family.  My goal is to post at least 3 times a week. I hope anyone that comes across this blog will gain an understanding of what we believe as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints and understand Heavenly Father's organization of the Family.