“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”[i] God loved us, His children, so much that He sent His Son to earth to redeem us. With that gift, we would receive another gift: eternal life. Our Father set an example for us to follow—we must love and sacrifice for our families so that we might have eternal life with them.
Love and Sacrifice
Love is the foundation for all that we do for our families. When we love them with all of our hearts, we begin to build for them a family unit that will last the test of time and into eternity.
It should be no surprise that in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” love is virtually commanded and tied to moral commitment and obligation…The commands are: husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children” and “parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, . . . to teach them to love and serve one another” (¶ 6). Success in family life is deemed to be grounded in honoring principles such as “forgiveness, respect, love, [and] compassion” (¶ 7).[ii]
This type of love requires sacrifice. Elder Richard G. Scott said, “Love, as defined by the Lord, elevates, protects, respects, and enriches another. It motivates one to make sacrifices for another.”[iii] Our Father sacrificed His Only Begotten for us. What are we willing to sacrifice?
1. Our time is one of the greatest sacrifices we can give to our families. When we give up something precious to us, we can create something even better. The bonds of love will deepen as we show our family that time with them is more important than our time to do with as we please.
2. The needs of our spouse and children should supersede our wants. Giving up something that we want for something that they need will change our hearts. We will eventually find that the joy that comes from giving is far greater than the momentary happiness that getting something we want will bring.
3. Sacrificing our will. Will in this context is defined as, “The faculty of conscious and especially of deliberate action; the power of control the mind has over its own actions.” [iv] Our wills may often conflict with the will of other members of our family. The idea is not to just give up or even to compromise, but to allow our will to be the same as the will of our loved ones. Family councils are a great way to unite as a family and act as one—similar to how the Holy Ghost, the Savior, and our Father are united and act as one.
There are myriad other ways to show our love and to sacrifice for our families. Heavenly Father led by example. He sacrificed His Son because He loves us. The Savior’s love for us was measured by His great suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane as he worked out the atonement in our behalf. As we abide by these principles, great personal and family happiness will be the result.
[i] (John 3:16, emphasis added).
[ii] Hawkins, Alan J., et al. Successful Marriages and Families: Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives. Brigham Young University, 2016.
[iii] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1991/04/making-the-right-decisions?lang=eng
Forever And A Day 