“Real history and real relationships develop over time. Love is earned through service, and that’s why it is so strong within families.” said Grant Jensen, dean of the College of Computational, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, as he delivered Tuesday’s devotional address.
Jensen focused his remarks on the temporal and eternal blessings of marriage and children. He emphasized that there are many good things in life, but family is among the greatest.
“Many paths in life are good; there are lots of good and great things you could do,” he said. “But you should set your sights on the best, the highest.”
Drawing on the Abrahamic covenant, which Jensen said is used to symbolize all of God’s greatest blessings, Jensen taught about posterity, priesthood and a promised land. He highlighted that when covenants with God are not honored, these three blessings are “swept away.”
“I believe it reveals what the Lord thinks are the key blessings: having posterity that blesses others with the priesthood,” Jensen emphasized. “The scriptures teach that posterity will be our ultimate glory.”
Jensen said that he has found this principle to be true within his own life. He highlighted his children, one by one, explaining the unique and valuable role they each hold in his family and how they have fortified his life in unique ways.
“As I look back, the times of my life when I have felt the Spirit the strongest was when … I got to feel Heavenly Father’s love for my kids,” Jensen said.
Jensen talked about some of the impactful memories with his children growing up, such as bedtime routines and 16th birthday parties. Although simple and mundane, these moments deeply shaped his life.
“[Marriage and family] are the great gifts from God that will matter in eternity,” Jensen said. “It’s why they are the promises of the Abrahamic covenant and the new and everlasting covenant.”
Knowing that valuable lessons are usually not easily learned, Jensen urged the audience not to be discouraged with the struggles within their own family. He told them that when their family grapples with weakness and limitation, it is through those imperfections that they learn and grow.
Time is necessary when developing these priceless eternal relationships, especially in parenting, Jensen taught.
“Remember that your life was designed just for you, so all your unique circumstances have value that will allow you to learn, grow and bless others,” Jensen said. “In the end, my devotional is simply this: a full-throated, unabashed, unqualified endorsement of marriage, family and the family proclamation.”
