My New Favorite Picture

 

"The family is ordained of God. 

Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.

Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony,

and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.

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.

By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness

and are responsible to provide the necessities of life

and protection for their families.

Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.

In these sacred responsibilities, 

fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."

From

 The Family: A Proclamation to the World

The world teaches individuals to put off marriage. Once and if you do get married, put off having children, that is if you even feel like having them. I have done the opposite in my life as I have tried to follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I have found the greatest happiness in my life in being married and welcoming our first child to our home. These things have been on my mind a lot lately, especially with the craziness we see on the news every day about marriage and morals. 

I once heard a bishop counsel us youth that if we wondered about a certain principle or commandment of the Gospel to simply test it. Try living it and see if the fruits of it are what you are told they are. I feel like in my short experience so far of living these commandments, I know they are of God and we find our greatest joys in living them. I pray and hope that I can continue to live worthy of this blessing of having a family here on earth that is striving to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard