eye of the shepherd

 i've been taking a class online that focuses on the family (particularly on the proclamation to the family), and came across this quote.  it is something that really hit me for some reason.  i think maybe we all have some member of our families that struggles with their testimony or the church, and this really is a good thing to remember. 

Eye of the Shepherd

“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealingsof faithful parentsand the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.”

Robert D. Hales, “With All the Feeling of a TenderParent: A Message of Hope to Families,” Ensign,May 2004, 88