Young Men Lesson 29: The Eternal Family

Manual 1; Excerpt fro "Temple Mirrors of Eternity: A Testimony of Family," by Gerrit W. Gong

Discussion Questions
• What are some decisions you make every day that are influenced by your knowledge that you are a son of God?
• As a holder of the Aaronic Priesthood, what can you do to strengthen your family? (see D&C 20:46–47, 51, 53–55, 58–59).

Excerpt from "Temple Mirrors of Eternity: A Testimony of Family," by Elder Gerrit W. Gong, October 2010 General Conference:

Temple mirrors of eternity remind us that each human being has “divine nature and destiny”; that “sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally”; 4 and that, growing together in love and faithfulness, we can give children roots and wings.

In temple mirrors of eternity, I reflected on First Dragon Gong, born a.d. 837 (late Tang dynasty) in southern China and the succeeding Gong family generations to my father, our family’s 32nd recorded generation. My brother, sister, and I are in our family’s 33rd generation; my sons and their cousins, the 34th generation; our grandson, the 35th recorded Gong family generation. In temple mirrors of eternity, I could not see a beginning or end of generations.

I then imagined not only a succession of generations but also a succession of family relationships. In one direction I saw myself as son, grandson, great-grandson, back to First Dragon Gong. In the mirrors in the other direction, I saw myself as father, grandfather, great-grandfather. I could see my wife, Susan, as daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter and, in the other direction, as mother, grandmother, great-grandmother.

Read the full talk.

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