“What If My Family Doesn’t Look Like This?” Liahona, September 2020
What If My Family Doesn’t Look Like This?
Illustration by Michael Koelsch
How grateful we are for living prophets and apostles, who issued “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” 25 years ago. It teaches us the eternal doctrine of the family and lists principles that successful marriages and families live by.
However, some people may wonder how the proclamation applies to them when “their own current experience does not fit neatly inside the family proclamation.”1
Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed this concern in general conference, sharing this encouragement: “Even if important parts of [the plan of happiness] aren’t fulfilled in your life now, they will be yours in the Lord’s due time. I also promise you that you can have significant growth and happiness now in your present circumstances. As a daughter or son of God, live whatever portion of the plan you can to the best of your ability.”2