Family is Central to God’s Plan
“Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and … the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”).
Junior Primary:
How many people are in your family?
Every one of you is part of a family.
Why do you think it is so important to have a family? There are lots of ways it is important during our lives here on earth. Let’s make a list on the board.
(Some examples are safety, comfort, friendships, love, learning, etc.).
Those are all great reasons.
Heavenly Father gave us a family. Not only did He give us a family but also he made family “CENTRAL” to his plan.
Who can tell me what CENTRAL means?
Have 8 kids come to the front and stand in a circle – then take one of the kids and put them in the middle of the circle. Explain that everyone in the circle is looking at that one person in the middle. That means that they are the center of the circle.
Most of you are looking at the circle, some of you have looked for a minute and some of you haven’t looked at all. That circle is just like the plan of our Heavenly Father. It should be every one’s focus, but some times we get distracted or we don’t realize it is there.
So we have Heavenly Father’s plan that is Central to our existence. And then we have Family right in the middle of it.
So let’s talk a little more about “Central” and what it means to us.
According to Elder Cook (from an article in the Ensign),
“The family is the most important unit in time and in eternity and is ordained of God. Living in loving family relationships not only brings us great happiness, but it also helps us learn correct principles and prepares us for eternal life. In addition, family relationships help us know, love, and understand the Father.”When one of Heavenly Father’s apostles states that it is “THE MOST IMPORTANT UNIT” what do you think that means?
It means that everything that we do, we should be to strengthen our family.
What are some things that we can do to make our family better? We’re going to write this list next to the list of why we have family.
(Some examples are play together, read the scriptures, pray together, help one another, etc.).
All of these things are really important. And all of these things help us better live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to talk more about our roles in the family, our parents’ roles in the family and how to show love to our family.
Close with testimony
Senior Primary:
How many people are in your family?
Every one of you is part of a family.
Why do you think it is so important to have a family? There are lots of ways it is important during our lives here on earth. Let’s make a list on the board.
(Some examples are safety, comfort, friendships, love, learning, etc.).
Those are all great reasons.
On the Mormon.org site, we can read more about the importance of family.
It’s no stretch to say that a person has a serious advantage in life if they come from a loving, supportive home. Many people still succeed though they come from less-than-ideal family situations, but having our basic needs met, knowing that our parents love us and learning life lessons at home make all the challenges of day-to-day living that much easier to face. God organizes us into families so that we can grow up in happiness and safety, and so that we can learn to love others selflessly—the key to true joy. Within the family is the best place to learn to love others the way Heavenly Father loves each one of us.I really like that a supportive and loving home gives us an advantage in life, but even those of us that may not have an “ideal” situation at home we are still being able to have our basic needs met and that alone makes life easier.
Even when we have a less than perfect situation at home, we are learning important lessons about how to love and how to be loved.
Heavenly Father felt families are so important. So much so that He made family “CENTRAL” to His plan.
Who can tell me what CENTRAL means?
Have 8 kids come to the front and stand in a circle – then take one of the kids and put them in the middle of the circle. Explain that everyone in the circle is looking at that one person in the middle. That means that they are the center of the circle.
Most of you are looking at the circle, some of you have looked for a minute and some of you haven’t looked at all. That circle is just like the plan of our Heavenly Father. It should be every one’s focus, but some times we get distracted or we don’t realize it is there.
So we have Heavenly Father’s plan that is Central to our existence. And then we have Family right in the middle of it.
So let’s talk a little more about “Central” and what it means to us.
According to Elder Cook (from an article in the Ensign),
“The family is the most important unit in time and in eternity and is ordained of God. Living in loving family relationships not only brings us great happiness, but it also helps us learn correct principles and prepares us for eternal life. In addition, family relationships help us know, love, and understand the Father.”
When one of Heavenly Father’s apostles states that it is “THE MOST IMPORTANT UNIT” what do you think that means?
Do we sometimes forget that family is more important than anything else?
Have you ever picked spending time with friends over spending time with your family? Have you ever yelled at your siblings? Have you teased them and laughed when they cried? Have you gotten upset when your younger siblings have copied you? Do you ever tell your siblings or your parents to just go away and leave you alone? Do you ever ignore your mom and dad when they ask you to do something? Do you separate yourself from the family when you are doing something with them because you would rather be playing with your friends?
Raise your hand if any one of the things I just listed is something you do.
Family is the most important part of Heavenly Father’s plan. So if we aren’t working our hardest to make those relationships the best they can be, how do you think we are making Heavenly Father feel?
What are some things that we can do today and every day to help make our family stronger? What can we do to help make our siblings our best friends for now and forever? What can we do to have our parents be the first person we think of when there is something great in our lives and the first person we think of when we need help?
(Some examples are play together, read the scriptures, pray together, help one another, etc.).
Not only will each of these items help us have a closer family but all of these things help us better live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Do you think that is a coincidence or is it part of Heavenly Father’s plan?
Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to talk more about our roles in the family, our parents’ roles in the family and how to show love to our family.
Close with testimony
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I am so grateful that Heavenly Father decided to make family such an important part of His plan. While we may get frustrated with our family and we may at times argue, I know that they love me and I love them unconditionally. It is challenging being a mom and seeing our children make choices that may not line up perfectly with what we wish they would do, so I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for God to see each one of us, daily, make choices that may or may not align perfectly with His Plan. I am eternally grateful for the example that my parents have set for me within my own little family. I’m grateful for the example that Scott’s parents have provided us. And know that the choices that both sets of parents made were to strengthen their family and build eternal relationships.
I pray that Jade and Ivy will always be close and will always be comfortable turning to me and Scott with any struggles and triumphs that they have throughout their lives. I also pray that they will always know that no matter what choices they make or direction their lives take them that Scott and I will love them with all our hearts. Always and forever.
