Learning From Lamanites

The past couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to do a Genogram for my family, and because of this I have been able to take a really good and close look at the family and its structure and stability over three generations. I was instructed to start with my maternal and paternal grandparents and work forward from there. Well, in my case I have two sets of paternal grandparents and therefore two families that should be mentioned and counted. I was born to a man that died when I was six months old, then later adopted and sealed to the man that raised me up until his death when I was sixteen. This gave me a unique look at my family and their marriage traits. As I studied and evaluated my family I was struck by the obvious, but surprising, marital trends in the different family lines. I noticed that the side of the family that I expected to have the sound and stable marriages and families is actually the line that has the most turmoil. This caused me to really question the reason for this unexpected result. As I contemplated all the information I was reminded of the Nephites of old that were chastised by Jacob and informed that the Lamanites were more righteous than they were in Jacob 3: 5-7:

5 Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father—that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them.

6 And now, this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people.

7 Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator?

Looking at my own family I can see the trend that Jacob was chastising about in my family. A part of my family are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and each of them have long, strong, and loving marriages. However, the other side of my family, the LDS side, is riddled with abuse and divorce, and because of this I sought to try to understand the reason for this. I found that the abuses that were rampant in the family from the parents to the children caused a great strain and doubt about marriage. I myself have had these same thoughts and confusions. Many of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins have grown up knowing abuse and not really knowing the love that a strong marriage can provide. Understanding the truth of the family history has helped me to understand the trends that followed, and this leads me to what I now know.

I have spent a lot of years working through my demons from the abuses I suffered. I have come to a The Family: A Proclamation to the World explains the importance when it states, “Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan” (Hinckley, 1995). This clearly states the importance of marriage and its involvement with our eternal progression. Too many are putting marriage aside and forgetting the sacredness and sanctity it deserves. We see parents being more concerned with themselves and not giving and sacrificing for the marriage or their spouse. A marriage cannot progress unless both parties give one hundred percent of their efforts to it. I like to alter a quote by President John F. Kennedy and say, “Ask not what your marriage can do for you, but what you can do for your marriage”. So many have entered into a marriage with expectations of ease and self-gratification, rather than understanding that a marriage is work and sacrifice. That work and sacrifice are the very things that bring pull a couple together. We have been commanded to cleave to our spouses, but we can’t do that in the absence of faith, commitment, and love. “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities” (Hinckley, 1995). We must turn our hearts and minds back to the family and the divine purpose of it.

tremendous understanding of the importance of marriage in our lives, both for the couple and for the family.

I know that our Father in Heaven has provided a way for his plan to be executed for the purpose of our progression. In the temples of the Lord, husband and wife can be sealed together, joining them and their posterity eternally. I think I can argue that family is the most important thing in the Father’s eyes. I know this because of all that he has done to prepare the way for family to be gathered. We are here to gather the family, and with the Priesthood authority we can do just that by sealing our families together and living righteously and enduring to the end. Husbands and wives, be like the Lamanites of old, love each other and your children so that you might be together in Eternity. Honor your covenants and the priesthood and be a shining beacon of testimony to the importance and divine nature of marriage and family. I testify of the importance of marriage and the family, and the divine power of the priesthood power that grants us the opportunity to be together eternally.

Works Cited

Hinckley, G. B. (1995, Sep 23). The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng&old=true

Photo Credit

https://www.i-lawsuit.com/different-types-divorce/

https://www.weddinglds.com/what-is-a-lds/lds-temple-weddings-q-a