Hard Times in Your Family?
Here are six truths to keep in mind when you feel your family life isn’t ideal.
Illustrations by Emily Davis
Have you ever been in a difficult family situation?
For instance, maybe you’ve experienced:
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Parents getting divorced.
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Tension or arguing at home.
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Difficulty getting along with a sibling or parent.
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Being abused or neglected.*
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A family member making poor choices, leaving the Church, or passing away.
Whatever hard times in your family look like for you, they are just that—hard. Here are six things you should know.
1. You are loved
Whether you feel love from your earthly family or not, know that you are a member of Heavenly Father’s family, and He loves you more than you can imagine. Though God and Jesus Christ created worlds without number, God knows and loves you.
“Though we are imperfect, [God] loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.”
2. You are not alone
If you feel alone, don’t—you have three infinitely powerful Beings on your side. You can pray to your Heavenly Father, who hears and answers you. You can rely on the Savior, who always understands, even when other people don’t (see Alma 7:11–12). And you can have the Holy Ghost with you always, to comfort you and guide you, as you strive to keep your covenants.
Besides the most powerful beings in the universe, you have lots of other people on your side—on both sides of the veil. The “armies of heaven” are cheering you on. You are needed. You belong. You are never alone.
“You will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that [God] was always there beside you.”
3. Your example matters
Depending on your situation, there may or may not be a lot you can do to fix your family’s problems or change how a family member acts and believes. But as you choose to follow the Savior, your good example can make more of a difference than you realize.
“Our Christlike example of kindness, righteousness, happiness, and sincere love for all peoples can create … a guiding beacon light for them.”
4. The Lord can help you love and forgive
In many situations, one of the best things you can do for your family members is to strive to love and forgive them. If that seems hard, lean on the Lord to help you.
“Through His infinite Atonement, you can forgive those who have hurt you and who may never accept responsibility for their cruelty to you.”
5. Eternal family arrangements will be wonderful
Maybe you worry about your family’s future—even in the eternities. But you can trust that our loving Heavenly Father can make everything right.
“You just live worthy of the celestial kingdom, and the family arrangements will be more wonderful than you can imagine.”
6. Your trials can become blessings
As you turn to Heavenly Father, He will help you in your trials. He can even take the hard things and turn them to your good (see Doctrine and Covenants 98:3).
“Wouldn’t it be interesting if, at the end of our lives, we could see that those [family] relationships, even those challenging moments, were the very things that helped us to become more like our Savior? Each difficult interaction is an opportunity to learn how to love at a deeper level—a godlike level.”