President Russell M. Nelson on the sacred place of home and family

President Russell M. Nelson (born Sept 9, 1924) was an internationally-renowned heart surgeon when he was called to serve as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1984. He became president of that quorum on July 15, 2015. Following the death of President Monson, he was set apart as president of the Church on January 14, 2018.

"The family is the most important unit of society and of the Church. The family is ordained of God. It is central to His plan for the eternal destiny of His children. (See 'The Family: A Proclamation to the World,' Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102.) 'God has established families to bring happiness to his children, to allow them to learn correct principles in a loving atmosphere, and to prepare them for eternal life.' (Family Guidebook (pamphlet, 1992), iv.) ...

"The home is the great laboratory of love. There the raw chemicals of selfishness and greed are melded in the crucible of cooperation to yield compassionate concern and love one for another. (See Mosiah 4:14-15; D&C 68:25-31)"

- Russell M. Nelson, "Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women," General Conference, April 1999
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

This excerpt was part of an address to the Priesthood Session of conference. President Nelson gave counsel in particular to husbands on providing the proper companionship and supportive relationship with their wives—our "sacred duty to honor women." In the ideal setting of the family, where a man and a woman provide companionship and support in pursuing eternal goals, some of the most important learning opportunities exist to help us all move forward towards the goal of eternal life:

The identification of home as a "laboratory" implies that experiments will take place there; there will be mistakes and failures. But as we learn lessons from those experiences, developing skills in knowing how to replace "selfishness and greed" with "compassionate concern and love", we will find great joy and peace.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)