Need For A Family

In 1968, a man named Paul R. Ehrlich published a book that, surprisingly enough, made people across the globe question the ethicality of having children. This book sold over three million copies and his theories were widely popular. It was called, The Population Bomb. He claimed that, "By the 1970s . . . hundreds and millions of people are going to starve to death . . . and the world will undergo families." Clearly, his research was flawed and his predictions didn't actually come true. This story, though, made feel grateful for the world we live in, that it is not the world Ehrlich thought it was. But it also made me wonder if some of our world is beginning to shift and "undergo families". It may not be for the same reasons Ehrlich wrote about, but I can't help but notice less and less people creating families and the definition of "family" changing and becoming more complex.  

I think one of the most incredible things about the earth is her mutualistic relationship (if you will) with human beings. We plant and till and take care of her, and she provides us with all the necessary resources to sustain human life. And if we read the bible, we already know that we don't have to worry about over-population or "running out of resources". Genesis 1:27-30, 

"27 So God created man in his own aimage, in the image of God created he him; male and bfemale created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be afruitful, and bmultiply, and creplenish the dearth, and subdue it: and have edominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29 ¶ And God said, Behold, I have  given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for ameat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for ameat: and it was so."

It was God's intention from the very beginning that man would have dominion over every living thing and would take care of it, and in return it would benefit us as well. Beautiful how God designed it to work so perfectly. So let us do what He asks and take care of this planet of ours.

Back to families, I mentioned how I can't help but notice that the definition of families is constantly changing and becoming more complex - or more unclear. Family structure is something that has stayed the same throughout most all of history until recent years. Now, we are seeing all kinds of trends that take from that traditional family structure. Some are; single parents, cohabitation, delayed births, same-sex marriages, divorce, premarital sex, living alone, decreasing replacement birth rate, etc. Is this what Ehrlich predicted when he said, "the world will undergo families"? I don't think so. But I do believe that because of these trends, families are jeopardized. Raising children in any type of family, it is essential to show them love, and to nurture and teach them. Many single parents, parents of the same sex, unmarried parents, and others raising children in a non-traditional family do wonderfully well at this. However, it has been studied and proven that children are influenced more by the love his/her parents show for each other, than the love they show the child. In The Family: A Proclamation to the World, The first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints explained that, "Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity." The example of the parents will impact a child more than words. They are entitled to see the miracle creating love and security and peace in a family through the wonderful partnership of a man and woman. 

At times, I have wondered if it would be wise to bring children into the increasingly difficult world we live in. L. R. Knost said, "It's not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It's our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless." When I have a family of my own, I want to do all I can to give my children a home and a family in which they can feel loved and safe and be able to blossom in. I want to choose someone to marry that I want my future children to look up to. I believe that our spirits have a yearning for love. And a yearning for different types of love that can only come from a family; motherly love, fatherly love, sibling love. I believe that God intended for families to be that way. As I have tried to cherish my own family, I have learned so so much about the pure love of Christ. I have also learned that each individual in a family has unique and essential roles. And that not only applies to the family, but every individual, we all have something unique and important to offer.