Happy Father's Day to all the good Dad's out there!
Sacrament Meeting Talk given by Little c
"In his talk, "Fatherhood, an Eternal Calling, Elder Perry said, "As we take a long, hard look at the world today, it is becoming increasingly evident that Satan is working overtime to enslave the souls of men. His main target is the fundamental unit of society—the family.
During the past few decades, Satan has waged a vigorous campaign to belittle and demean this basic and most important of all organizations. His success is becoming increasingly evident—the grim facts are seen, reported, and heard about daily and involve the collapse of many family units. With the decay of the family, we see the terrible effects on our society—increased crime, behavior disorders, poverty, drug abuse, and the list continues to grow and grow.
It appears to me that the cross hairs of Satan’s scope are centered on husbands and fathers. Today’s media, for example, have been relentless in their attacks—ridiculing and demeaning husbands and fathers in their God-given roles."
In the world we live in, Families desperately need the protection and leadership of a man who honors his priesthood in the home.
In my life, I have personally seen the heroic efforts of great men who honor their Priesthood. My uncle Josh is severely handicapped. There is so much that he is unable to do for himself. My grandfather loves him, respects him and cares for him with all his energy. There is nothing he won’t do to serve his "special boy". Because of his Christ-like service, Josh has the best life he can have. He has moments of great joy and he knows how much he is cherished by his Dad who has given his life to make him comfortable.
Satan does everything he can to make fatherhood out to be silly, to make those men who choose marriage and fatherhood to look like they have been trapped and are not very bright. He tries to tell men that Fathers are not needed and Fatherhood is not worth their time. But, the truth is the exact opposite. There is nothing more inspiring, more important or more heroic than a good father. Those that seek to follow the Savior, seek to have the inspiration of the holy spirit and seek to know and teach the gospel to their children fulfill the measure of their creation as sons of God. What could be greater or more noble than that?
My cousin has a beautiful little girl. When she was just one she had a strange anorexic condition and was literally starving. She gave up her bottle and would not take it. My cousin & his wife were very distressed praying and fasting for her constantly. After many trips to the Doctor and trying many different things the Doctor told my cousin and his wife that their little girl would soon have to be hospitalized and put on an IV to save her life. She was in real trouble. Then my cousin was inspired to gather his family together. He made a bottle for each member of the family and one for his little daughter. He told his family that he wanted them to all show the baby how to drink her bottle. When the baby saw her father and all her family drinking from a bottle, she decided that it would be OK for her and she began to regain her strength. I believe that Heavenly Father blessed a worthy priesthood holder with the direction to save his little girl.
In his talk, "Them That Honour Me, I Will Honour" Elder James E. Faust said, "Brethren, noble fatherhood gives us a glimpse of the divine attributes of our Father in Heaven. A father should be many things. He should magnify his priesthood and be an example of righteousness. In companionship with his wife, he should be the source of stability and strength for the whole family. He should be the protector and the provider and the champion of the members of his family. Much of his love for his children should flow from his example of love, concern, and fidelity for their mother. By his uncompromising example he should instill character into his children."
I am very grateful to have a wonderful father. He is a good provider. I live in a beautiful home and have good food to eat. He teaches me a lot of things and is always willing to take the time to answer my questions. Every evening during the school year, he helped me with my math homework and to study for my tests so that I could achieve my goals at school. He is kind to my mother and always anxious to help her. He is interested in what I am doing and encourages me in all the good things that I want to do. He helps me to work things out when I have problems. He is also lots of fun and I love him very much.
I have a testimony of the divine role of fathers. I know that men can aspire to nothing more heroic. I have a testimony of the gospel. I know that it is a plan given to us by our Father in Heaven. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
