Marriage and Family
“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Mathew 16:19
What a remarkable endowment of power the Savior gave to Peter. Peter and the twelve Apostles had the authority given directly from Christ so that any ordinances performed would not only be binding on earth, but would still have binding veracity in the heavens for time and all eternity.
This authority has again been restored to the earth. Marriage through this authority in God’s temple is binding both on earth and in heaven. Marriage, and the establishing of an eternal family, is central to God’s plan for all of us. “Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” The Family: A Proclamation to the World.
There is nothing more important, nothing more central to God’s plan, nothing more sacred than the family. We live in a day and age when traditional family values are sadly belittled, demeaned and devalued. The family however is the fundamental unit of God’s plan for his children. The family is the fundamental organization of Heaven. Heaven without the family would not be heaven.
It is through the blessing of marriage and family that we can begin to feel slices and moments of heaven in our lives. That doesn’t mean that every second of every day will be heavenly bliss. Every married couple faces challenges and obstacles, but when faced with God’s loving help and support, even those challenges can become blessings.
Family is where a spouse gets first-hand learning about truly loving others selflessly, about putting the needs of another before one’s own. Family is where we can learn to love others unconditionally. Marriage and family is where we can get a fleeting glimpse of God’s love for us, for He is our father. It is through the family that we get real experience learning how to love others with a measure of that pure, unconditional love that Christ has.
The above statements are the expressed beliefs and feelings of Melanie and Danny. We consider them to be fully in accordance with the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For official doctrine see www.lds.org.