"I confess that I have reflected at length upon that moment [the Savior's death] and the resurrection which was shortly to follow it. I have wondered what that reunion must have been like: the Father that loved this Son so much, the Son that honored and revered His Father in every word and deed. For two who were one as these two were one, what must that embrace have been like? What must that divine companionship be yet? We can only wonder and admire. And we can... yearn to live worthily of some portion of that relationship ourselves.
"As a father, I wonder if I and all other fathers could do more to build a sweeter, stronger relationship with our sons and daughters here on earth. Dads, is it too bold to hope that our children might have some small portion of the feeling for us that the Divine Son felt for His Father? Might we earn more of that love by trying to be more of what God was to His child? In any case, we do know that a young person's developing concept of God centers on characteristics observed in that child's earthly parents."
- Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Hands of the Fathers," Ensign May 1999, p. 14
Click here to read the full talk
Elder Holland often explores details of incidents or teachings in ways that make me ponder their application to me, and make me yearn to do better. This is a great example of that. He shares his thoughts about the relationship between the Father and the Son, and then applies it to every father and son (or daughter), challenging us to try harder to build and strengthen earthly relationships.
What a profound thought for any parent to consider! How might we each "be more of what God was" — to the extent we know those details — in our family relationships?
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