"The Family Is Central to the Creator's Plan"

Brian Kershisnik (American, born 1962)
Jesus and the Angry Babies (2014)
Oil on canvas on panel, 48 × 30 inches
Used with artist’s permission

Art Companion

Brian Kershisnik’s Jesus and the Angry Babies began as a bit of humor—because, as he pointed out, the babies in traditional paintings of Jesus are always calm, smiling, and beatific. Real babies, of course, are not always like that. They squirm, they cry, and they don’t always like being held.

What started playfully eventually became, for the artist, a clearer metaphor: all of us—messy, emotional, reactive—trying to make sense of a perfect and patient Christ who sits with us anyway.

These days, you might feel inundated with posts and videos of picture-perfect families. This week’s lesson acknowledges that families are not perfect; they are where we learn to love, forgive, start over, and try again. The Proclamation teaches that families are central to God’s plan—not because they’re flawless, but because they shape us in ways nothing else can.

Gospel Questions

1. How can your understanding that you are a beloved child of Heavenly Parents with a divine destiny shape your decisions about the direction of your life and your interactions with others? What characteristics do you have that feel divine?

2. In what ways do you feel the family is "ordained of God"?

3. How have you felt the blessing of one or more of these principles in your familial relationships: "faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, [and] work"?

The Center’s Studio Podcast:
Brian Kershisnik Is Looking for Something

Artist Brian Kershisnik discusses a new monograph of his art work, *Looking for Something: Selected Paintings*, and discusses how growing up in Angola, Thailand, and Pakistan has informed his worldview — and affected his body of questioning, joyful, vibrant art.

listen now

For Children & Youth

Hi. For many children, the first drawings they make are of their home and family. These are artworks that are basic: stick figures and only the minimum amount of detail. But they are important representations of what is important to the person. Do you have any drawings of your family? If not, grab a pencil, crayon, marker, or other media and do a little portrait.

1. "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ." What teachings of Jesus make your family more happy? When have you felt a teaching of Jesus bless your family?

2. What is your favorite memory of a time spent with your family? Write about this memory or draw a picture of it. What did you do to make this experience a happy memory for your entire family?

3. "The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave." Which of your ancestors are you most excited to meet and why?