Children

In 2001, Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk in the April General Conference. He addressed the importance of making important decisions here, decisions that will affect not only you, but your posterity as well. He stated, 

"In terms of priorities for each major decision (such as education, occupation, place of residence, marriage, or childbearing), we should ask ourselves, what will be the eternal impact of this decision?"

In accordance with this, I thought I should take a second to write about the importance of having children and address some of the questions people have when it comes to starting a family.  

First, it is our sacred duty to have children and give them the opportunity to receive bodies. They are God's children who are waiting to come down to this earth to carry out the will of the Lord. One of the big questions that people have when it comes to having kids is how to decide how many children to have. I believe the number of children you and your spouse have really is between both of you and the Lord. But when we are making that decision of when to start a family, the decision needs to be made with Heavenly Father's guidance and with responsibility. Sometimes accepting what God wants can be a hard thing, but we need to be willing to go and do what is asked of us and as long as we are following what God has asked of us then He will bless us and our families. The Lord will always provide a way, but for it to happen, we need to be doing our part in order for Him to do His. But ultimately, the decision of how many kids to have is between you, your spouse, and the Lord.

Second, we need to realize that we are going to be judged on how we raise the children that God blesses us with. We have been commanded to raise our children in a home where the gospel is taught and encouraged. By teaching our children the gospel, we are adding to God's kingdom here on earth and we will be blessing the generations to come.