[W]e are beloved children of a Heavenly Father, who has taught us that maleness and femaleness, marriage between a man and a woman, and the bearing and nurturing of children are all essential to His great plan of happiness. Our positions on these fundamentals frequently provoke opposition to the Church. We consider that inevitable. Opposition is part of the plan, and Satan’s most strenuous opposition is directed at whatever is most important to God’s plan. He seeks to destroy God’s work. His prime methods are to discredit the Savior and His divine authority, to erase the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, to discourage repentance, to counterfeit revelation, and to contradict individual accountability. He also seeks to confuse gender, to distort marriage, and to discourage childbearing—especially by parents who will raise children in truth.
President Dallin H. Oaks, "Truth and the Plan", General Conference, October 2018
We are seeing, more than we realize, and even more than ever, the pointing fingers and mockers found in the great and spacious building that Lehi dreamt. We are smack dab in the middle of great opposition that Satan is thrusting upon everyone. It's everywhere. From TV and movies to the Internet, from everyday conversation to political correctness. It is most often subtle but it is there, numbing us if we allow it.
Take notice that the most critical points to the Plan of Salvation, what Heavenly Father has revealed to us in the great council, is where the most opposition is happening. The family!
Is it any wonder that there is so much emphasis from our leaders on protecting the family? I've always said that the best way to lead and guide your family and loved ones is to work on strengthening your own testimony and faith. Be an example by action, not word only. Then, your influence and example will strengthen those around you. Of course, little children still will need direct guidance and encouraging, even urging, as they will hold onto your testimony and faith until they can stand on their own.
We've all heard that we should love the person, not what they are doing. That's going to get harder and harder to do as the line between our freedoms and the actions of society, in general, all but severs. Soon, we will be forced to accept their actions or pay severe consequences. It will be at that point where we will be tested to the fullest. Are we ready for those consequences? Will we deny Christ in the moment as Peter did?
We have the promise from the Savior Himself, "Let no man [or woman] be afraid to lay down his [or her] life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his [or her] life for my sake shall find it again" (D&C 103:27), meaning eternal life.