Perspective

Why am I here? Who am I? Where am I going? These are some pretty deep questions, and they're questions that a lot of people have asked. That's one of the coolest things that I love about being a member of the LDS church, that I know the answers to these questions. Here I'll give some basic answers, but if you want more detailed responses, visit mormon.org and get on the chat session. We've got pros who can help you. :)

Who am I? Quite literally, you are a child of God. (How cool is that?!)

Why am I here? As children of God we have been sent here to learn and to grow, kind of like when we leave the house for the first time. We can call our parent's for help, but now's the time to apply the things we've learned.

Where am I going? The short answer, we get to return to live with God. We go back to where we started, only a little wiser, and little more grown up.

Our Heavenly Father loves us, and though going through hard times is one of the key parts of being here in this earth, God still wants us to be successful and enjoy being here. That is why we've been given the family, as a springboard for our eternal success.

"The Family: A Proclamation to the World" is an official document released by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that shares what the Lord thinks of families (there are a lot of good points in the proclamation so I'd advising reading the whole things here).

"THE FAMILY is ordained of God... 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."

Our families have been given to us from God. We have a responsibility to help provide good environments for families like these. God can't force us to be a certain way, so if we want to have good families, we have to work for it. But God will help us if we ask.

What are things you've found that helped you strengthen your families?

-Shayla