January 2026

In less than one generation, the world God created was filled with wickedness. One exception was Enoch, a prophet who taught his people how to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Enoch talked with God, he was amazed to see that the Divine Creator would cry at the fall of His children: “How is it thou canst weep?” (Moses 7:31). God responded, “They are the workmanship of mine own hands” (Moses 7:32). He was sad because each child of God is precious to Him. He grieves for each one of us when our choices take us away from Him.

From the very beginning, the gospel of Jesus Christ was taught by prophets to help families find peace in the world and obtain the promise of being together forever. Parents taught their children to “call upon the name of the Lord, and the Lord blessed them” (Moses 6:4). In today’s world, we shouldn’t hesitate to start teaching our children to do the same. From showing our toddlers how to pray to helping our teenagers plan a FHE lesson, we can bless their lives now and forever as they learn to “call upon the name of the Lord.”

Parenting is not easy. The experiences of Adam and Eve show that being a parent has never been without trials and heartache. Yet through raising their family, they learned true happiness comes as we try to follow Jesus Christ. Eve said without the pain that had happened in her life, she “never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth” (Moses 5:11).

At the start of each new year, parents plan out activities and events for their family to do during the next 12 months. We hope to make happy memories, build our children’s character, and provide a refuge of emotional and spiritual support during hard times that will inevitably come. We want the best for our family and hope that at the end of the year, we will reflect on how good a year it was.