“Blessed, Protected, and Linked with Love,” New Era, Oct. 2014, 18–19
Blessed, Protected, and Linked with Love
Great rewards are in store for you when you do family history.
Paper illustration by Kris Silvester; photograph by Christina Smith
Why do family history? Because you can learn a lot about where you come from, what others have done to prepare the way for you—and also because you can enable those who have passed on to receive the blessings of temple ordinances, opening for them the door to eternity.
Did you also know that prophets and apostles have promised blessings when you join in the work of salvation? Here are several of them.
Your love for your ancestors will grow, and you will receive their help.
“When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us. We feel part of something greater than ourselves.”1
“Remember that the names which will be so difficult to find are of real people to whom you owe your existence in this world and whom you will meet again in the spirit world. When you were baptized, your ancestors looked down on you with hope. Perhaps after centuries, they rejoiced to see one of their descendants make a covenant to find them and to offer them freedom. … Their hearts are bound to you. Their hope is in your hands. You will have more than your own strength as you choose to labor on to find them.”2
You will be spiritually protected.
“Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost.”3
Your reverence for the temple will increase.
“Any work you do in the temple is time well spent, but receiving ordinances vicariously for one of your own ancestors will make the time in the temple more sacred, and even greater blessings will be received.”4
Your patriarchal blessing will become more meaningful.
“As you respond in faith to this invitation [to learn about and experience the spirit of Elijah], … the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be implanted in your hearts. Your patriarchal blessing, with its declaration of lineage, will link you to these fathers and be more meaningful to you.”5
Your testimony will be strengthened and you will receive knowledge through the Spirit.
“As you respond in faith to this invitation [to search out your ancestors, perform baptisms on their behalf, and help others to identify their family histories], … your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding.”6
“Family history work … has a refining, spiritualizing, tempering influence on those who are engaged in it.”7
Your priorities will become clearer.
“If we start where we are—each of us with ourselves, with such records as we have—and begin putting those in order, things will fall into place as they should.
“It is a matter of getting started.”8
“Set aside those things in your life that don’t really matter. Decide to do something that will have eternal consequences.”9