Discovering the Divine Design in My Family: Andrea McConkie

My family looks a lot different than I thought it would. I lost my husband shortly after we were married and so have raised my family as a single parent. And I know this idea of “it looks different than I thought” is not unique to me. There are many that are dealing with that feeling, and it can bring a lot of heartache. But there are some things that I’ve learned. There have been real opportunities in the gaps or in the differences to recognize God’s hand in sustaining me and giving me the ability to do things that I need to do that are important and that I want to do well for Him.

There are so many who have stepped in to fill holes and to love and to extend God’s love to us in service and in, just, the kindnesses that we have needed. But what I really have learned is that being part of an eternal family first. I’m a daughter of Heavenly Father, and He has offered me a covenant relationship that if I embrace and do everything that I can to strengthen, He gives me everything I need to raise my family, to be the best mother I can be, to love those that are a part of my own family, my extended family, God’s family. When I strengthen that covenant relationship, what it does is it helps me to love more like He does. And being able to recognize God’s love in our life is such a powerful—it’s a powerful gift. And when I recognize how much I’m loved by a Heavenly Father, how patient He is with me, and how much He wants me close to Him, it makes those family relationships much more rich and deep and worth doing the work for.

Just like I feel very blessed to have a knowledge of God and His love for me, I also feel grateful that I get to have and teach of His love to those who have been entrusted to me and those that I love. That’s the most important thing I would want someone to know about me is that I love Jesus Christ. I know a loving Heavenly Father is aware of me. He’s involved in the details of my life. And the reason that He wants me to be in a covenant relationship with Him and to make choices that make me like Them, is because He wants me to love like He does. It’s a great blessing to be able to do that and to recognize His hand in that love.