This week’s lesson teaches that God gives every person gifts, but they are, by design, not the same.
In today’s world we hear a lot about the importance of things being equal, as though that means things should be the same. Equal and Same are different things. Clearly our Heavenly Father gave us gifts that are different but will be complementary for the benefit of all. God ideally planned for that to work within a family unit as well.
In Paragraph 7 of the Proclamation we are taught that women and men have sacred and important roles and responsibilities. And in those roles, “… fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.” Complementarity between the sexes, especially as mothers and fathers, is a gift we give the next generation.
“Just as the complementarity of a man and a woman is important for the type of union they can form, so too is it important for how they raise children. There is no such thing as “parenting.” There is mothering, and there is fathering, and children do best with both. While men and women are each capable of providing their children with a good upbringing, there are, on average, differences in the ways that mothers and fathers interact with their children and the functional roles that they play.”
Anderson, R. (2013, March 11 – Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining It).
May 10–16: Doctrine and Covenants 49-50
