Que meu Pai me deu

That my Father gave me.

Families are central to God’s plan. I know that. I know that we can experience the greatest happiness and the highest exaltation only through families. Families are the foundation for everything else. Without families, it all falls apart. Families are one of the greatest blessings Heavenly Father has given us.

As a blessing from Him, he sets the terms and definitions by which they are to be formed. Marriage is a blessing, not a right. This past month, Elder Nelson gave a wonderful talk about the importance and value of marriage in the Lord’s way (Celestial Marriage).

I am part of a family, even being single right now. I am a daughter of my parents. I am a sister of my brother and sister. I am an aunt to my nephew. I am a granddaughter of my grandparents, even though three of them are no longer on the earth. I am a niece and a cousin. My family is a part of God’s plan for me. Just because I am not a wife and a mother does not mean I do not have a family. I have six titles in my family. Missing just two does not leave me without family. And I know, with a surety, that even those last two will be mine in the Lord’s time. When I do get married, it will be the way the Lord has provided, the way he has given us to follow.

More importantly, I am a member of God’s family. I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father. And I know my Father loves me. I am not alone.

Every member of a family is needed, has value, and can contribute. If we were all the same, if we were all at the same place in our lives, we would not be able to lift, support, or strengthen each other. It is our differences that give us strength. If, for instance, a family had two fathers, it would be missing the difference and strength of a mother. A family needs the strengths that come from each individual’s differences. My family would be very different if we had not had the differences each of us brought to it.

Marriage is a sacred institution given to us by our loving Father. It is a supreme and holy blessing.