Why Families?

We all have families and every family is different, sometimes by choice and sometimes because of circumstances that are out of our control. One thing that we always have control of is the choice to have a successful family. When we seek ways to improve our families and then apply then that is when we are on the way to making our families strong.

The Family; A Proclamation to the World was presented in 1995 to Latter-Day Saint women in a Relief Society meeting. An important thing to understand is this Proclamation is not just for Latter-Day Saints, it's for the "world: all nations, all faiths, all families" (Newell, 2012 p313). Elder M Russell Ballard, in his talk What Matters Most is What Lasts Longest, stated "As we are all part of a family, the proclamation applies to everyone." The Proclamation is a guide for not only surviving family life, but for your family to stay strong and last through time.  

When I speak of families I am referring to a man and a woman who have been legally married together and then have children in the bonds of matrimony. If this is not how your family has been that does not mean that your family is "wrong". That view is showing that there is a better way to have a family that will put us on the path to being the best we can be as a family. There are so many attacks against the family in this world today. We live in a culture of "throw away relationships, familial apathy and permissive values; and secularism, selfishness, and immorality" (Newell, 2012 p313). We need to go against what the world teaches and apply the teachings of the proclamation to our lives.

I personally have seen the effect the Proclamation has on a family through my parents example as they have done their best to follow its guidance. My parents have honored their vows with complete fidelity. They love God and have taught my siblings and I to do the same. Our home was based on the principles of "faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities" that are mentioned in the Proclamation. My dad has done his best to preside over our family and lead us in righteousness and my wonderful mother has gone above and beyond when it comes to caring for my siblings and I. While we have lived the teachings of the Proclamation my family is not perfect in any way. My siblings and I are jerks to each other sometimes, every once in awhile a punch is thrown, we slam doors, and my parents get frustrated with each other and but we don't let that define our family. We have had to learn to repent and be willing to forgive which is hard but necessary in a family. We are united and we all support each other in everything we do. The Proclamation does not guarantee our family will be perfect by any means but it does bring us closer together.  

I am incredibly lucky that I was able to be raised in a family like that. We can all have families like that though. There is no reason that our families can't be that way. You can still apply principles of the Proclamation to your family even if your family isn't exactly outlined the way it is in the Proclamation. There are situations where things need to be modified like if a spouse is in the military or if your situation causes that both parents need to be working but don't let that be an excuse. If you are married I encourage you to read and study the Proclamation and then apply it to your family life whether it's just you and your spouse or if there are kids are in the mix. If you aren't married yet I would encourage that you also study the Proclamation and work towards having a family like the one the Proclamation outlines. It's never too late to change things in your family. Successful families are possible we just have to be willing to try. 

If you would like to read Elder Ballard's talk (which I greatly encourage) you can find it here;

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/what-matters-most-is-what-lasts-longest?lang=eng

Sources 

Newell, L.D., The proclamation: A guide, a banner, and a doctrinal summary of the church's emphasis on the family. (2012). In A. Hawkins, D. Dollahite, & T. Draper (Eds.), Successful Marriages and Families (pp. 313-318). Brigham Young University.

Ballard, R.M. (2005, November). What matters most is what lasts longest. Ensign, 35, 41-44.