Is anything more beautiful and profound
than the simple and pure truths of the gospel
taught in a Primary song?
And all of you Primary girls here tonight
know the song I'm going to talk about.
You learned it for your Primary program last year.
In the words "The family is of God,"
sung earlier in this meeting, we are reminded of pure doctrine.
We learn not only that the family
is of God, but also that we are each part of God's family.
The first line of the song teaches:
"Our Father has a family.
It's me!
It's you, all others too: we are His children."
From the family proclamation, we learn, "In the premortal realm,
spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God
as their Eternal Father."
In that realm, we learned about our eternal female identity.
We knew that we were each "a beloved ...
daughter of heavenly parents."
Our mortal journey to earth did not change those truths.
We each belong to and are needed in the family of God.
Earthly families all look different.
And while we do the best we can to create strong traditional
families, membership in the family of God is not contingent
upon any kind of status--marital status, parental status,
financial status, social status, or even the kind of status we
post on social media.
We belong.
"We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us,
and we love Him."
The second line of the song expands on the first.
"He sent each one of us to earth, through birth,
to live and learn here in families."
In the premortal life, we learned
that we would need a period of mortality.
We "accepted [Heavenly Father's] plan
by which His children could obtain a physical body
and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection
and ultimately realize [our] divine destiny
as heirs of eternal life."
Elder Richard G. Scott explained that "we
were taught in the premortal world
that our purpose in coming here is to be tested,
tried, and stretched."
That stretching comes in as many forms
as there are individuals experiencing it.
I've never had to live through a divorce, the pain
and insecurity that comes from abandonment,
or the responsibility associated with being a single mother.
I haven't experienced the death of a child, infertility,
or same-gender attraction.
I haven't had to endure abuse, chronic illness, or addiction.
These have not been my stretching opportunities.
So right now some of you are thinking, "Well then,
Sister Stephens, you just don't understand!"
And I answer that you may be right.
I don't completely understand your challenges.
But through my personal tests and trials--the ones that have
brought me to my knees--I have become well acquainted with
the One who does understand, He who was "acquainted with
grief," who experienced all and understands all.
And in addition, I have experienced
all of the mortal tests that I just
mentioned through the lens of daughter, mother, grandmother,
sister, aunt, and friend.
Our opportunity as covenant-keeping daughters
of God is not just to learn from our own challenges;
it is to unite in empathy and compassion
as we support other members of the family of God
in their struggles, as we have covenanted to do.
When we do so, we also come to understand and trust
that the Savior knows the difficulties of the way
and can guide us through whatever sorrows
and disappointments may come.
He is true charity, and His love "endureth forever"--in part
through us as we follow Him.
As daughters of God and disciples of Jesus Christ,
we then "act according to those sympathies which
God has planted" in our hearts.
Our sphere of influence isn't limited to our own family
members.
I recently had the opportunity to visit
with Sister Yazzie of the Chinle Arizona Stake in her hogan.
When she welcomed me into her home, the first thing I noticed
was the variety of framed family and missionary photos
on her walls and tables.
So I asked, "Sister Yazzie, how many grandchildren do you
have?"
Surprised by my question, she shrugged her shoulders.
Confused by her response, I looked at her daughter.
Sister Yellowhair answered, "She doesn't know
how many grandchildren she has.
We don't count.
All children call her Grandmother--she is Grandmother
to everyone."
[LAUGHTER]
Sister Yazzie doesn't limit her love and influence
to her biological family.
She understands what it means to expand her sphere of influence
as she goes about doing good, blessing, nurturing,
and defending the family of God.
She understands that "whenever a woman strengthens the faith
of a child, she contributes to the strength of a family--now
and in the future."
The third line of the song further
explains the purpose of our mortality:
"God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be."
The Savior taught, "Be one; and if ye are not one ye
are not mine."
The family proclamation teaches that as beloved spirit
daughters of heavenly parents, we
have a divine nature, eternal identity, and purpose.
God wants us to be one.
God needs us to be one--covenant-keeping
daughters, united in the diversities of our individual
lives, who desire to learn all that is needed to be back
in His presence, sealed to Him as part of His eternal family.
"Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples
make it possible for [us] to return to the presence of God
and for families to be united eternally."
The ordinances we receive and the covenants we make
at baptism and in holy temples connect the family of God
on both sides of the veil--connecting us
to our Father through His Son, who prayed, "That they ...
may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one in us."
As we use our time and mortality to study and apply
the Savior's teachings, we become more like Him.
We come to understand that He is the way--the only way--we can
overcome mortal challenges, be healed,
and return back to our heavenly home.
The final line of the song returns
to where it began: "This is how He shares His love,
for the family is of God."
The Father's plan for His children is a plan of love.
It is a plan to unite His children--His family--with Him.
Elder Russell M. Nelson taught, "Heavenly Father has but two
desires for His children ... : immortality and eternal life,
'which means [to live] with Him back home.'" Those desires can
be realized only as we also share the love that Heavenly
Father has for His family by reaching out and sharing His
plan with others.
Twenty years ago, the First Presidency and Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles reached out to the entire world
when issuing a proclamation on the family.
Since then, attacks on the family have increased.
If we are to be successful in our sacred responsibilities
as daughters of God, we must understand
the eternal significance of and our individual responsibility
to teach truths about Heavenly Father's plan for His family.
President Howard W. Hunter explained:
"There is a great need to rally the women of the Church
to stand with and for the Brethren
in stemming the tide of evil that surrounds us
and in moving forward the work of our Savior.
...
So we entreat you to minister with your powerful influence
for good in strengthening our families, our church,
and our communities."
Sisters, we belong.
We are loved.
We are needed.
We have a divine purpose, work, place, and role
in the Church and kingdom of God and in His eternal family.
Do you know deep in your heart that your Heavenly Father
loves you and desires you and those you love to be with Him?
Just as "Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ are perfect
... , Their hopes for us are perfect."
Their plan for us is perfect, and Their promises are sure.
Of these truths I gratefully testify in the name
of Jesus Christ, amen.
Amen.