Doctrine of the Family

There were a few things that stuck out to me this week  as we have been discussing divorce and remarriage.  As a missionary I loved teaching people about the doctrine of the family and how God gave us a family in order to learn and to grow so that one day we would be able to return to live with Him again along with our families for eternity.  I think it is so vital that people understand the doctrine of the family.  When I took FAML 100 I really came to realize just how important the family is and its impact on the world.  Another thing that resonated with me is that family is a choice, not a passive occurrence in life.  This choice is challenging but also the most rewarding thing we can have in this life and the next. The other thing that stuck out to me is that a family with a mom, dad, and biological children is not the only kind of family.  This type of family in the church is seen as the perfect, ideal family, but sometimes things happen that prevent this whether it is death, divorce, remarriage, or adoption.  Something that I never thought much about is that we are all adopted.  Through the gospel and as we live it Christ adopts us into His family.  I think sometimes we look down on or judge those who don't fit the mold of a "normal" family, but we shouldn't because we are all brothers and sisters and need to treat each other as such.