Editor’s Note: In March 2026, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published 10 short discussion videos in the Women’s Gospel Library featuring 10 members of the Relief Society General Advisory Committee.
Council members wrote to Church News about five topics in the video. This is the fifth article of five on the topic of “Discovering the Divine Design in Your Family.” Read Part 1 on “Finding Strength and Rest in Jesus Christ” here, Part 2 on “Managing Competing Priorities” here, Part 3 on “Building Emotional Resilience” here, and Part 4 on “Remaining Committed in the Face of Attack, Hurt, and Trial” here.
In general conference last October, President Dallin H. Oaks reminded us that the plan for families is eternal. “Our relationship with God and our mortal purpose are explained in terms of family. The gospel of Jesus Christ is Heavenly Father’s plan for the benefit of His spirit children. The gospel plan was first taught to us in the council of our eternal families, and it is the purpose of our mortal lives.” What a gift it is to be reminded that the family is not a temporary arrangement, but a divine and eternal plan.
Our mortal family is patterned after God’s eternal family. Understanding this helps us better understand the purpose of family life: not just living together, but learning, growing, sacrificing, and loving like God. Our Heavenly Father gave His Son so that all of His children could return to live with Him again. Family is central to that plan. Through families, we learn about God’s love, God’s patience, and God’s perfect timing.
This doctrine has very personal meaning no matter what our family is. For me, Andrea, there are only two people in my family right now. After losing my husband to cancer when my son was a baby, life did not unfold the way I had once imagined. There were missing parts, unanswered questions, and moments of deep sadness. But precisely because of those gaps, it was necessary to rely more on God’s help, service, and the love and Christ-like service of relatives. I have felt supported by a Heavenly Father who knows families who are less than ideal and who gives us more strength, comfort, and hope than we could give ourselves.
And for me, Sandy, my experiences are different, but what I trust is the same. Living abroad, far from relatives and familiar surroundings, required my family to rely heavily on the love and service of the Lord and our church family. Distance strengthened faith, deepened relationships, and reinforced the truth that belonging is not limited by geography. God connects His children wherever they seek Him.
Connection and belonging are achieved through contracts. When we enter into a loving covenant relationship with God, we become more closely connected to God and to each other. These covenants strengthen our earthly relationships and keep us grounded in uncertain times. Families are designed so that all members understand God’s plan and His love for them, even when circumstances are difficult or imperfect.
In the same talk, President Oaks told a story about how his family did not match ideals and shared some lessons he learned from his mother. “Every single mother can teach about Heavenly Father’s love and the blessings that temple marriage ultimately brings.
“You can too. Our Heavenly Father’s plan ensures that possibility for all. We are all grateful for the future blessings of temple marriage and being sealed into an eternal family. Like our mother, we share the promise that Lehi gave to his son Jacob. I love to quote the Bible: God ‘sanctifies your tribulations for your good’ (2 Nephi 2:2). That applies to all Latter-day Saint families, perfect or not.”
Family is where we learn life’s most important lessons: faith, trust, love, forgiveness, and patience with God’s timing. When we live our lives in imitation of the teachings and self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we will be blessed, even when life does not go as we expected. God helps us to love our families as He does. He will help us learn to care and forgive like Him. God helps us live with an eternal perspective and helps us want to repent when we are wrong.
It is important to not lose sight of the purpose of marriage and the value of children, and to gently help our loved ones realize their eternal blessings through example and testimony.
Because of Jesus Christ, we can find joy in God’s plan, even if our family is not ideal. Everyone belongs to a family: parents, children, siblings, relatives. Most importantly, each of us is a beloved spiritual son or daughter of heavenly parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny. That truth unites us all and testifies to the divine plan of the family.
— Sisters Andrea McConkie and Sandra Springer are members of the Relief Society General Advisory Committee.
