The drift towards having fewer children is rising dramatically. As more and more people opt out of having children or having fewer children, this trend will eventually result in depopulation throughout the world by 2050.[i] Although many people believe that the world is presently overpopulated, this movement will have worldwide repercussions. As the populace gets older and is in need of greater and greater resources, there will be fewer people to provide them. Although it is predicted that there will be tangible consequences of these choices, the spiritual consequences are far greater. 

In our pre-mortal life, we lived with Heavenly Parents. We are literally the offspring of God.[ii] When Heavenly Father presented His plan, He explained that we would come to earth to have experiences that would lead us back to Him. The family is central to His plan.[iii] This entails marrying (husband and wife) and having children.

Why is having children important? Being a father and a mother is “is an apprenticeship to godhood.”[iv] As parents, we become more like God as we employ the godly attributes that we have been given and those that we have been commanded by God to acquire, such as “faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, [and] compassion.”[v]

The exercise of our faith is required as we seek the Lord’s guiding hand about when and how many children to have. Society would have us believe that education, work, finances, health, etc. are reasons for postponing or not having children. Yet, the first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve was to have children. If we place our trust in God, then He will provide a way for us to have a family. Sometimes that requires patience while we wait on His timing, but His promises are sure.

Having children takes sacrifice. I am blessed to have had four children. I am doubly blessed to soon have a total of five grandchildren. It wasn’t easy. Having children necessitated the exercise of my faith and employing all of those attributes and more listed above. My education, work opportunities, finances, health, etc. all took a hit, but I would do it all over again because I have gained so much more than I what I gave. More importantly, the promise of eternal life with my family is in force as long as I continue to repent and live righteously.

The tangible consequences of having children are easily apparent as we balance our checkbooks, make doctor visits, take much longer to complete our education, and work hard to provide, but the spiritual blessings far exceed them. I know that when we exercise our faith and make sacrifices to have a family, the Lord will bless us. The greatest reward of all is the opportunity to have our family with us forever and to become like our Heavenly Parents.

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[i] Hawkins, Alan J., et al. Successful Marriages and Families: Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives. Brigham Young University, 2016.

[ii] The Family: A Proclamation to the World. (1995, November).

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2002/06/father-consider-your-ways?lang=eng

[v] Hawkins, Alan J., et al. Successful Marriages and Families: Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives. Brigham Young University, 2016.