to Multiply & Replenish the Earth

"The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife.  We declare that God's commandment for his children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force."

I love the simplicity with which God brings about His purposes.  He provided a very straightforward way for all of his spirit children to come to earth.  

He planted both the desire and the means to bear children in each of us.  And He gave the combination or key to unlocking new life to men and women to practice as joint stewards over creation.

But He has instructed us to be careful and wise in our use of this procreative power, as it is a very sacred privilege.  Through the Family Proclamation, the Lord tells us that "the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife."

Again, we receive this simple but serious commandment.  We can choose to mess with God's plan.  We can ignore it, transgress it, or fight against it.  But we know that true and lasting happiness comes through following God's plan, not inventing our own.  And still God lets us choose.

The Family Proclamation goes on to teach us that "the means by which mortal life is created [is] divinely appointed.  It also affirms the "sanctity of life" and it's importance in God's eternal plan.

We talked about all of these things while we carefully colored in our Russian nesting dolls!

When I saw these nesting doll cards online, I couldn't wait to make them as part of our Family Proclamation lessons.  They are bright and happy and a lot of fun.  Can't wait to send them to someone in the mail and brighten their day, hopefully!

As you open the card, a new nesting dolls appears, smaller each time, just like opening a real nesting doll!

I tried and tried to find some little boy nesting dolls to print, with no success.  But these were fun anyway and got the idea across.  The process of "multiplying" is beautiful.  (If only it were as *easy* as coloring in these nesting dolls!)  It's fun and exciting to see each new spirit son or daughter of God make his or her entrance into the world...and then fill it (and each family) with his or her own uniqueness and talents.

We had fun making and coloring these nesting dolls on Sunday afternoon...talking about how many children we each hoped to have in our family some day.  Talking about how each of us looks like each other, but still looks different.  Good times and a great way to stay out of trouble on a Sunday!

I purchased the nesting dolls printable online at Squigglefly.com and I followed this tutorial for the nesting doll card by Andrea Currie Crafts.

You can also check out the lesson we did on this topic four years ago at Multiply & Replenish.

Five-minute Lessons on The Family Proclamation

Agency & The Family Proclamation
In the Image of God
The Pedigree of Your Spirit
Gender Matters
Temples: The Forever Family Place
To Multiply & Replenish the Earth
Family Love
The Responsibility of Parents

Here's another fun way to talk about multiplying!

Parenthood: One of Life's Greatest Blessings

Life is Sacred