It often surprises me how busy I can feel in a day. It is not uncommon to feel there is more than we can possibly accomplish in a given day, or sometimes even in a week. We all occasionally get distracted from why we are here and divert our energies somewhere else. It seems one of Satan’s most powerful weapons is to distract us with causes which, in times of need, may blind and bind us away from the best cause—the very work that called us into this world.

Our eternal purpose is to come unto Christ and actively join Him in His great work. It is as simple as doing what President Russell M. Nelson often taught: “Anytime we do anything that helps anyone … make and keep their covenants with God, we are helping to gather Israel.” And when we do His work together with Him, we come to know and love Him more.

There is a powerful story in the Book of Mormon that tells of the resurrected Savior spending time with the Nephites. Think for a moment what that must have been like. 

As Christ announced that He must return to His Father, “he cast his eyes round about again,” as if not to miss anyone. 3 Nephi 15:1

I have decided that spending time doing Family History is one way we can look “round about again,” as Jesus did, to make sure no one is missed, and everyone is invited to come to know Him.

Life is busy, and we all have responsibilities that are required of us each day, but we also usually have some time that we get to decide what we do, we get to decide how we spend some segment of our day or week. Giving thought and effort to our own family history is a way to look around and make sure all are given a chance to come unto Christ.

Our eternal purpose is to come unto Christ and actively join Him in His great work.  As we do this, we come to know Him better and love Him more. As we seek to draw closer to our Savior through any intentional actions, whether it be faith, repentance, keeping the commandments or researching our own family history, our lives will be filled with increased confidence, protection and a deep and lasting joy.

I hope we will all take the time to cast our eyes “round about again,” and make sure everyone in our families will be given the chance to come unto Christ!

– Doug Nielsen, Director, Granite FamilySearch Center