Plan Now for Then

Elder John H. Groberg of the Seventy said, “We [came] to this earth charged with a mission: to learn to love and serve one another. To best help us accomplish this, God has placed us in families, …” (Ensign, May 1982, 50). Eventually, we will have families of our own—a big responsibility. Here are some suggestions to help you to prepare now:

Read and gain a testimony of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” Along with the scriptures, the proclamation is the perfect guide to help us live in and prepare to raise families.
Participate in your family’s activities now, especially family prayer, family home evening, and family scripture study. You can help your family to establish these habits through your faithfulness.
Attend special events that your family members are involved in. Support them in their activities and spend time with them.
Pray for your family members, and pray for help to know what you can do to make your family stronger.
Pray and prepare for a temple marriage. As you prepare to go to the temple, you will live life in a way that will help you be a better spouse and parent.
Interview your parents. Ask them questions like, “What did you do to prepare for a family? What would you do the same? What would you do differently?”
Turn to the scriptures. Remember Nephi promised that if we “feast upon the words of Christ; … the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” (2 Ne. 32:3). Have faith and feast upon His words.
Look to examples of good families. In the scriptures, in your extended family, or in your ward, you can find many examples of families who love each other and who are trying to live the gospel.

Illustrated by Brad Teare