The Best We Can Give Our Families

By Elder Sandino Roman

Of the Seventy

We should do all we can to extend the knowledge and blessings of the gospel to our children and to others.

illustration of a father holding his baby

Early in my life, my parents struggled in their marriage, and it affected our family. When my mother’s friend became aware of this, she said to my mother, “How about you come and learn about my church?” My mother said that she and my father were not ready for that. Her friend said, “Then why don’t you let me take your children with me?” I was five at the time. My sister was eight.

This good friend took me and my sister to church for several years. I remember experiencing the joy of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. As my testimony grew, I wished and prayed for my parents to eventually learn about the gospel. When my sister decided to be baptized, my parents felt that they needed to find out a little bit about the Church.

As my parents began to learn about the truthfulness of the gospel, I saw a change of heart in them. They were humbled, and they came to embrace the gospel. A year after they joined the Church, I turned eight and my father baptized me. Heavenly Father had heard and answered my prayers.

Three years later, the Mexico City Mexico Temple was dedicated. I had the chance to go there with my family. We knelt at a beautiful altar to be sealed together forever, and we rejoiced in the promises and hope that Jesus Christ and His gospel bring. Years later, my wife and I were sealed in the same house of the Lord.

I remember when my firstborn child was born. In those tender moments when I held her in my arms, I was overwhelmed by the purity of my little daughter and by the natural love and desire I had as her father to protect her, provide for her, and teach her the best that I could give her. Considering the conditions of this fallen world that my daughter had recently come into, a strong feeling of hope and responsibility grew in me because of the covenants my wife and I had made with the Lord in the temple. I realized that the best I could possibly teach my daughter—and, in time, all my children—is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is exactly what the Lord has been doing with us from the very beginning.

A Sacred Responsibility

The Lord instructed Adam to teach his children “that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. …

“Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:

“… Ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come. …

“And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men” (Moses 6:57–59, 62).

The family is the best setting for learning about the gospel of Jesus Christ. President Dallin H. Oaks has taught, “Ideally, both [a father and a mother] are present, with different gifts to guide [their children’s] growth.” But even if situations are not ideal, we can still teach our children the doctrine of Christ and the importance of embracing and applying the Atonement of Jesus Christ in their lives. And, hopefully, the gospel will sprout in their hearts.

The gospel helps us teach our children to learn the difference between good and evil. At times, they will have to “taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good” (Moses 6:55). As our children learn, they become “agents unto themselves” (Moses 6:56). They may choose to follow what we teach or decide not to, but we are not alone as we fulfill this sacred responsibility.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

If we believe in Jesus Christ, repent, and are baptized, the Lord says, “Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Moses 6:52). This is one of the greatest gifts we can receive. There is no greater companion to cleanse and sanctify us and change our natures for the better, “making us more holy, more complete, more like God (see 3 Nephi 27:20).”

We should do all we can to help our children and others come to know that the Holy Ghost is truly a blessing and a precious gift from God. The Holy Ghost “is given to abide in [us]; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things” (Moses 6:61).

Among the best things we can do for our families is help them learn to rely on God throughout their lives and to persevere in retaining the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

It Is Worth Every Effort

I am grateful for my knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the responsibility and the privilege my wife and I have had to extend this knowledge and the blessings of the gospel to our children and to others.

This is an ongoing process. My wife and I still work on teaching our children, and they are making their own decisions based on the agency God has provided for them. Continuing to teach these things freely to our children is the best thing we can do for them, and it is worth every effort. I know this from experience. I have seen how the Savior and His gospel have refined me and my appetites. I cannot imagine where I would be otherwise. What would have happened to my family growing up in a small rural town in the middle of Mexico if we had not found the restored gospel? I honestly cannot see myself any other way.

It is worth every effort to accept the Savior’s invitation to strive to be perfect as He and our Father in Heaven are (see 3 Nephi 12:48) and to encourage our loved ones to do the same. As we do this, we will eventually become holy as They are. And although we experience harshness, adversity, and injustices in this life, there is hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ (see Moroni 7:41). The ordinances and covenants of His gospel bind us—and our families—to Him and to our Heavenly Father, who have done everything possible for our eternal happiness.

May we strive to do all we can to help our children and those we love live the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the best that we can give them now and forever.