The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ

General Conference

I love General Conference so much. The last couple conferences, I have felt the world getting really loud and distracting as the weekend approaches. Which only tells me how important it is. But it also feels like a struggle to keep that distraction away. My conference weekend felt filled with distraction this time. We were planning on leaving on our yearly family trip the Monday after (not making that mistake again!) and on top of that we had to completely change our plans so inbetween sessions we were cancelling reservations and making new ones, doing laundry, packing, and I felt like my heart and mind had a hard time switching back and forth.

But I have felt the Spirit over and over reminding me of how much I need these messages. I am grateful for the next six months to study them.

This conference had a bit of a shadow over it with the recent passing of President Russell M. Nelson. I love and miss him. But this conference was also a peaceful reminder of the order of our Church and the security and peace that it offers.

As always, the messages and teachings were focused on our Savior, Jesus Christ. The message that I heard over and over again was DISCIPLESHIP. Not just believing in Christ, but in following Him and patterning our life after Him. This is a continuous striving in mortality (and beyond).

Another theme that I heard that is not as common is that of healing. And as I have pondered that since conference, what that tells me is there is a lot of hurt in this world. Sometimes physical, but mostly emotional hurt. I feel it. I have had many conversations the last couple of months with those I love and care about who are hurting. The weight of this world and the cares that we have are bearing down on us. I needed the encouragement and reminder to turn to the Lord for healing. Not to just dig in and keep plugging along, but turn things over to Him. And I needed the reminder to look around me and help be apart of that healing to those around me.

A question I heard towards the beginning of conference continued to echo in my head – “where is my heart?” Where am I putting my time? What are my priorities? What is it that I truly value? It’s given me a lot to reflect on and there is work to be done there for me. I am grateful for inspired leaders who, under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, teach us as a group, and yet somehow touch each of us personally with exactly what we need to hear. I want to let the Lord change my heart and put it where it needs to be.

The BIG THEMES I saw this conference were:

• Jesus Christ (always)
• Discipleship
• Love <– the main theme from last conference
• Adversity
• Atonement
• Healing

The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ

As our Church is in a temporary period of transition, it was lovely to see the Quorum of the Twelve as they worked together to lead and continue their divinely appointed missions of testifying of Jesus Christ. And as President of that Quorum, it was beautiful to see President Dallan H. Oaks taking the lead. His message spoke of FAMILY. And I appreciated his comments on our role as parents.

Family means everything to me. When I think of that question, “where is my heart?“, I feel it is with my family. But I loved the specific examples that President Oaks gave of where to put our attention with our families. It confirmed some things that we are doing well as a family and it also put light on areas where we can improve.

And President Oaks touched on the subject that I feel Satan trying to use on me daily in my life – time. It will never cease to confuse me how we live in a world with so many modern conveinences that give us vast amounts of time that those before us never had, and yet we have less time for the things that matter than ever before. Satan loves to fill our lives with distractions and busyness. I know for me, It feels like a daily battle to try and find balance. But my children need me, present and active in their lives. And I felt a greater pull to take an honest evaluation of my life and look for the things that are distracting me from my most important work.

Promptings

The best use of my time, talents, and energy is in my home with my family. Loving, teaching, and nurturing those relationships is the work of heaven. It is eternal work. And I want and need to be engaged in it.

My Favorite Takeaways

“The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints centers on the family.

Our relationship to God and the purpose of our mortal life are explained in terms of the family. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan of our Heavenly Father for the benefit of His spirit children…The gospel plan was first taught to us in the council of an eternal family, it is implemented through our mortal families, and its intended destiny is to exalt the children of God in eternal families.

It is vital that Latter-day Saints do not lose their understanding of the purpose of marriage and the value of children.

Latter-day Saints still have a God-given responsibility to teach their children to prepare for our family destiny in eternity.

Every single mother can teach of the love of a Heavenly Father and the eventual blessings of a temple marriage… Heavenly Father’s plan assures this possibility for everyone. We are all grateful for temple marriage and for the prospective blessings of being sealed as an eternal family… We are a family church.

Our doctrine and our belief in eternal families strengthen and bond us.

Parents… are the master teachers. Their most effective teaching is by example. The family circle is the ideal place to demonstrate and learn eternal values, such as the importance of marriage and children, the purpose of life, and the true source of joy. It is also the best place to learn other essential lessons of life, such as kindness, forgiveness, self-control, and the value of education and honest work.

As families unite to strengthen one another, we should all remember that the sins and inevitable shortcomings all of us experience in mortality can be forgiven through repentance because of the glorious and saving Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is our ultimate role model. We will be blessed if we model our lives after His teachings and self-sacrifice. Following Christ and giving ourselves in service to one another is the best remedy for the selfishness and individualism that now seem to be so common.

Parents also have a duty to teach their children practical knowledge apart from gospel principles. Families unite when they do meaningful things together. Family gardens build family relationships. Happy family experiences strengthen family ties.

Parents should educate children in the basic skills of living, including working in the yard and home… Families flourish when they learn as a group and counsel together on all matters of concern to the family and its members.

To find time to do what is truly worthwhile, many parents will find that they can turn their family on if they all turn their teachnologies off. And parents, remember, what those children really want for dinner is time with you.

Great blessings come to families if they pray together, kneeling night and morning to offer thanks for blessings and to pray over common concerns. Families are also blessed as they worship together in Church services and in other devotional settings. Family bonds are also strengthened by family stories, creating family traditions, and sharing sacred experiences.

I testify of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Only Begotton Son of God, our Eternal Father. He invites us to follow the covenant path that leads to a heavenly family reunion. The sealing powers of the priesthood… bring families together for eternity. They are currently being exercised in a growing number of temples of the Lord throughout the world. This is real. Let us be part of it.”

FULL text and video of President Dallan H. Oak’s message can be found HERE.

Other messages from the October 2025 General Conference that I found particularly impactful:

• The Lord Looketh on the Heart by Elder Ronald M. Barcellos
• The Eternal Gift of Testimony by Elder Kevin G. Brown
• Cheering Each Other On by Sister J. Anette Dennis
• Do You Part with All Your Heart by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf