The Character of God, Enos, & The Family Proclamation

Last updated on: August 10, 2026 at 1:33 pm by Delisa Hargrove

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The Character of God, Enos, & The Family Proclamation 2026-08-10T13:33:36-10:00 Delisa Hargrove

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After years of being asked to study The Family: A Proclamation to the World, I realized that this proclamation not only instructed my mortal family relationships but also taught me about the characteristics of my Heavenly Parents and family. It provided tangible glimpses into the character of God.

The Character of God

Joseph Smith taught that God “looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard” and that “if men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 39, 40).

In the Lectures on Faith, Joseph Smith emphasized that knowing the characteristics of God is a necessary key to salvation by teaching

Let us here observe that three things are necessary for any rational and intelligent being to exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.

First, the idea that he actually exists;

Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes;

Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which one is pursuing is according to His will. For without an acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being must be imperfect and unproductive. But with this understanding, it can become perfect and fruitful, abounding in righteousness unto the praise and glory of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So when I realized that The Family: A Proclamation to the World actually taught me the divine characteristics of my Divine Parents, who together—unitedly—are God, that absolutely changed my relationship with the proclamation… and with my Heavenly Parents.

Now as I read scripture, the Family Proclamation is a ready resource and is applicable in so many ways.

Today I opened my scriptures to the Book of Enos and settled in to verse 1. And suddenly my mind focused on language from The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he TAUGHT me in his language, and also in the NURTURE and ADMONITION of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it (all caps emphasis added)

From the Proclamation:

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children . . . Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.

A few word definitions from the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary representing the definitions of words at the time of the translation of The Book of Mormon.

Teach

To instruct; to inform; to communicate to another the knowledge of that of which he was before ignorant.

To tell; to give intelligence.

To inform or admonish.

Nurture

That which nourishes.

That which promotes growth; education; instruction.

To educate; to bring or train up.

Admonition

Gentle reproof; counseling against a fault; instruction in duties; caution; direction. In church discipline, public or private reproof to reclaim an offender.

Nurture

President Henry B. Eyring shared incredible insight into nurturing as a divine characteristic of women in his 2018 conference address “Women and Gospel Learning in the Home.”

In the proclamation, He gave sisters charge to be the principal gospel educators in the family in these words: “Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.” This includes the nurture of gospel truth and knowledge. . . .

While I do not know all the Lord’s reasons for giving primary responsibility for nurturing in the family to faithful sisters, I believe it has to do with your capacity to love. It takes great love to feel the needs of someone else more than your own. That is the pure love of Christ for the person you nurture. That feeling of charity comes from the person chosen to be the nurturer having qualified for the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

As daughters of God, you have an innate and great capacity to sense the needs of others and to love. That, in turn, makes you more susceptible to the whisperings of the Spirit. The Spirit can then guide what you think, what you say, and what you do to nurture people so the Lord may pour knowledge, truth, and courage upon them.

Enos experienced that!

Enos humbled himself in courage before God, and the Lord poured knowledge and truth upon him.

And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul;

And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

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