Ch. 2: Our Heavenly Family

OK, it's been awhile since I've posted from the scriptures/church manuals so here it is ... chapter 2 in the Gospel Principles manual (see sidebar for the link).

This chapter declares that we are all literally the sons and daughters of God, hence in our premortal life we were a heavenly family. While we lived in heaven, we developed personalities and talents. Our Heavenly Father knew that we could not progress beyond a certain point unless we left Him for a time so he called a Grand Council and presented a plan for us to become like Him. In short, we chose His plan ... receive a body, go to earth to be tested and to gain experience, be resurrected, then become heavenly parents ourselves if proved worthy (thus receiving fulness of joy). Because a veil covers our memories of our heavenly home, choosing good over evil will be because of our faith in Him, not because of our knowledge or memory of Him. All of us except little children would sin so a Savior would be provided for us so we could overcome our sins and overcome death with resurrection. Moreover, Heavenly Father has chosen the time and place for each of us to be born so we can learn the lessons we need and do the most good with our individual talents and personalities. We would be given trials in our lives and if we allowed them to, these trials would purify us rather than defeat us. They would teach us to have endurance, patience, and charity.

I will close with my favorite ponder question in this chapter: "How does your knowledge that you are a child of God influence your thoughts, words, and actions?