June 12

There is nothing more important in this life (after serving a mission) than being a father. There are some great quotes in the Gospel Library App under the Family section. the book is called 'A Parent's Guide' Super cool. Makes me want to be a dad. "in proper courtship the partners must recognize that their first responsibilities are to encourage each other in righteous behavior and to sustain and support each other in righteous desires and ambitions. the young man will do anything to protect the young lady's purity. Each partner will UNSELFISHLY seek the best for the other while they learn to know each other well." So basically being a father requires a good husband, and being a good husband starts way before you get married. heavenly father's purpose is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life" of all his children. There is so much potential there! In our attempts to fulfill these roles properly, we thankfully have perfect role models! Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They ultimate goal of a man or boy is to become an effective husband and father, and the ultimate goal of a woman or girl is to become an effective wife and mother. notice that i said 'man or boy' and 'woman and girl'; again this all starts before the fact. PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING. Now just ask some questions and answer them. :) How do Heavenly Father and Christ fulfill these roles? What examples do we see in their relationship? How do they act in relation to us? You can contrast this with Satan's attitude, whose purpose is to destroy the human family. Moses 4:1, 2 Nephi 2:18, Moses 4:29-33. GET RID OF THE "WHATS IN IT FOR ME" ATTITUDE. Guess what fellas? Its not about you! Life is about sacrifice! We give things up so we can be better sons and daughters of God! You want to put off having kids and travel the world, partying on the beach with your homies? Sure you can do that but you're hindering your eternal progression. You are literally delaying opportunities for spirits to gain mortal bodies. Again, life isn't about us! Its about love for other people. Children and others are our spirit brothers and sisters. This is important. The lord asked Cain, "Where is thy brother?" Cain said, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Our answer must be a resounding yes! As parents, we become responsible for some of our younger brothers and sisters, and we are their keepers. The Lord has entrusted us with His children for a very limited amount of time to teach them true principles and govern in righteousness over them, until they are able to govern themselves. Teach children the eternal roles of men and women, and to glory in their respective sexes. There are abundant blessings and tremendous responsibilities given to both genders and both are critical in raising future children. 1 Corinthians 1:11. As parents, men and women are given the responsibility of teaching your children to fulfill faithfully the roles of eternal mothers and fathers that the Lord has promised to those who are faithful. Always remember that your children are your brothers and sisters, given into your care. Teach by example and precept, what a righteous parent is, teach the value of their eternal roles as men and women, and teach them to use their procreative powers within the bounds the Lord has set. We can choose on a daily basis to follow God, or to follow Satan. Being a parent can bring true joy. Granted, I don't know any of this from experience, but the Holy Ghost has manifested to me that this is true. I never wanted kids until probably last week when I started reading this. For real.

Post by Elder Boyd Haskell.