What IS the Family Proclamation?

“…the family is central

to the Creator’s plan

for the eternal destiny

of His children.”

“Happiness in family life

is most likely to be achieved

when founded upon the teachings

of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Husband and wife

have a solemn responsibility

to love and care for each other

and for their children.”

“The family

is ordained of God.”

from The Family: A Proclamation to the World

The Church of Jesus Christ

 of Latter-day Saints

 Sixteen years ago, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement on family.  They called it "The Family: A Proclamation to the World."  I remember listening to President Hinckley, the leader of our church, read it during a women's conference.  I had recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of my membership in the LDS church.  As the Prophet spoke unapologetically about the importance of family in a society where priorities were rapidly becoming mixed, I was thrilled to be a part of something so momentous.

At 20, the Proclamation resonated within me for several significant reasons.  I was in between the two most significant pieces of my life.  First, I was becoming a bit more independent of the family I'd been born into.  Though my family was not LDS as I was, the inestimable value I innately placed on family was because of a loving mother and father and a cherished brother who taught me all the things the Proclamation spoke of: "faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work and wholesome recreation activities."  I was incredibly fortunate to have happiness in family life because of these amazing people.  That certainly sets a high bar for future family relations.

And that future family was the second reason the Proclamation resonated so strongly for me.  What the Proclamation spoke of was what I wanted and hoped for in the family I would someday have.  Family is sacred.  Family is a solemn responsibility.  Family is honor and joy and hope and love and peace.  Family is central.  Fundamental.  Of God, and therefore holy.

Don't get me wrong with all this high-minded rhetoric.  I love the family I was born to, and they love me.  But I'm pretty sure I wasn't ... the easiest ... child to raise (particularly as a teen).  I remember some pretty intense ... um, learning opportunities ... in my home and among my family (I was usually the one doing the learning and/or teaching by trial and terror, I mean error).  And yet my parents still love me, my brother forgives me (I think?), and I've turned out to be a decent, respectable, functional member of society, as has my brother.  That's what family does.

The Family Proclamation doesn't directly mention patience, long-suffering, humility, meekness, or selflessness, but I'm pretty sure they are there.  We learn them vicariously first from the examples of our parents and siblings.  And then as we grow and mature (hopefully!), we learn them when we step out into the human family and, for some of us, into our roles as spouses and parents, where we often try perfecting these traits, whether we want to or not, with our chosen partners (bless them!) and the unfathomable little spirits Heavenly Father sends to our homes (and bless them, too, for surviving our learning curves!).

Even though it isn't always "fun," it's the perfect plan for teaching us to begin to love in the way that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us, infinitely and eternally.

I am so excited to spend some time over the next few weeks sharing with you what makes my families so amazing and how much they have blessed me, led me, guided me, lifted me up, and loved me. 

Stick around, I promise not to be so preachy all the time.  ;)