Reflections on Family Relationships

By Roy, of the Philippines.

Let’s say you were given the chance to eat the most delicious food you can ever imagine for free and it gives you so much joy; naturally you want others to experience the good feelings what you may have felt, don’t you? Sure. It really feels very incomplete even though you have everything when nobody expresses his or her deep love and appreciation to you and your accomplishments. For ‘no man is an island’ as they say, therefore not really one among us can say that he or she can be really happy without somebody with him or her. Life would be meaningless without your family and friends. This is the reason why the Mormon Church is actively sending missionaries throughout the world to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and the importance of building family relationships. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most sweet of all the goodness this world could ever have, and it is best taught in the home. Those who follow the gospel are greatly blessed not only on the physical aspects but more importantly in the spiritual side of a certain being.

This is quite parallel to the feelings of Lehi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, when he had given the vision of the Tree of Life which is a representation of the love of God. After tasting its fruit which is the most delicious to him, Lehi wanted his family to have a similar experience as well.

“And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking of the fruit. And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go. And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit. And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also” (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 8:13-16).

Perhaps let’s take a step back and think about our life and ponder all the things given to us. Then ask ourselves, “What is my greatest desire in life? Is it to get the best job in the world? Or is it to spend all the days in the most expensive places on earth? Am I really happy away from my family?

I believe that building a happy, loving and righteous family is the ultimate desire that all of us wanted to have in this life as well as in the life to come. We aim to buy a nice car and to earn a lot of money because we want to give the best for our family. But without our family, money, expensive car, best job, and mansion-like house are nothing and will not give us the ultimate joy at all.

Some of us presently have a broken family or one of the members of the family is missing or has passed away. God knows all the things that are happening around us and He will never leave us comfortless. The gospel of Jesus Christ will give us hope that all our pains and aches in life will be compensated if we accept the gospel and live it throughout our life. “Wherefore ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 31:20).

References:

1) Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 8:13-16

2) Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 31:20