The Blessings from Connecting with Our Ancestors

Connecting with and learning from our ancestors is a simple way for us to receive a multitude of blessings, including increased faith and strength.

Family history work—the act of learning and discovering more about our ancestors—is a way that we can connect with our family. The simple effort of researching our family and their stories can bring great blessings to our own lives. This is something I have personally witnessed as I’ve done more family history work over the past few months. Elder Gerrit W. Gong teaches in his inspiring address “We Each Have a Story” that learning the stories of those who came before us can be a surprising source of help in our daily lives. 

He highlights the transformative power of this increased connection in three profound ways: (1) illustrating that our ancestors’ love and sacrifices teach us to forgive and move forward, (2) teaching that their trials and accomplishments help us gain faith and strength, and (3) explaining that these connections lead to increased protection and power. Elder Gong also features the most impactful blessings that come from ties with ancestors: “family closeness, gratitude, [and] miracles.” How amazing it is that the straightforward practice of researching about and connecting with our family can bring us such marvelous blessings! 

Doing family history work serves a dual purpose. It not only blesses us but also provides a crucial service for our ancestors. Researching and finding their names often leads to necessary temple ordinance work—such as baptism and confirmation—being completed on their behalf. On the one hand, we can become a link for them to receive these vital blessings. On the other hand, our ancestors also provide a vital link for us. In Doctrine and Covenants 128:15, Joseph Smith wrote that “[our ancestors’] salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation.” We bless them, and in the process, bless ourselves. 

Take the first step toward those blessings by opening a family history app or website, recording the life story of a living relative, or simply asking a parent about their grandparents. This will provide the opportunity to unlock family closeness, gratitude, and miracles.

Discover more about the power that family history work can bring into our lives by reading Elder Gerrit W. Gong’s address, “We Each Have a Story.” 

Source: General Conference

—Megan McGee, Latter-day Saint Insights

FEATURE IMAGE BY LAURA FUHRMAN

Find more insights

To learn more about how connecting with our families can bless us, read President Dallin H. Oaks’ address “The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ.” 

Take a look at Emma Franklin’s Latter-day Saint Insights article, “The Healing Power of Family History,” to understand even more about the healing power that family history can bring.