Some time later this month our daughter Amanda will give birth to twin boys. They are fraternal, meaning they developed from two different eggs and therefore they will not be identical. They will be our 8th and 9th grandchildren.
I look forward, as I have with each of our grandchildren, to taking part in a time honored tradition. A tradition that I have no doubt is indulged in by all families, whatever their cultural and or spiritual background. It takes place as each person sees the newborn for the first time and will be repeated over and over again, year in and year out as the child grows.
This tradition begins with either a question such as, “who do you think he [she] looks like?” Or an observation, “he [she] has their mother’s eyes or their fathers mouth.” I am sure you can relate.
In our family, it usually starts with the identifying of familial facial resemblances and ends with a comment like, “oh, and look they have grandma's high arch, dancer's feet or grandpa's thicker, hobbit like feet. To which I have to object, “my feet are nowhere near as wide or furry as Frodo’s.”
Even their little personalities, which are uniquely theirs, have similarities with their parents and grandparents. Several months ago we visited our oldest daughter Brittany and her husband Brent in Virginia. One morning we were sitting around the table with their five children enjoying breakfast together. I was seated next to Madeline (11 months old). She was contentedly eating, when I noticed just under the edge of the table she was making little circles with her right foot. Brittany was quick to point out, that's a grandpa thing. Everyone agreed. There was no denying it, still to this day I move my right foot subconsciously while eating.
In the Old Testament the Psalmist wrote,
“I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”
Our designation as a son or daughter of God is not figurative or fanciful. It is a literal, physical and spiritual truth which reveals much about our potential. It's very possible that the apostle Paul had the words of the Psalmist in mind when he taught,
“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.”
He was simply stating the obvious. If we are the offspring of God, and are made of flesh and bones, then there is no reason to think of god as being made of something different.
On one occasion, shortly after Brittany was born, my dad observed in his simple common sensical way, “puppies grow up to be dogs and kittens grow up to be cats."
As an undergraduate at BYU I took a class in genetics, where I learned about Mendelian genetics. Gregor Mendel was a 19th century monk who discovered something quite remarkable while working in his garden with his peas: he observed that physical characteristics, later known as genes (genetic traits), are passed on from parent to offspring. For example, he carefully noted the color, size and surface texture of various types of peas and found that the occurrence of these physical attributes and their frequency were predictable. His model was the key to unlocking volumes of information relating to genes and the inheritance of many physical traits.
The transfer of genetic traits is not limited to garden peas. Indeed, our parents’ genes have been passed on to us. Later as parents we in turn pass this genetic programming on to our children—genes for hair and eye color, height and so on. However, in some instances these are only genetic potentials. This means the environment acts in concert with our genetic traits to determine if we will reach our full potential. For example, if your parents were both gifted athletes and were naturally quite strong, then you would have an increased genetic predisposition to be strong and athletic. Despite this hidden genetic potential, if you are physically undernourished or lazy, both conditions of the environment, then you will be less likely to realize your full genetic potential for physical strength.
And what about your heavenly parents? Is there such a thing as spiritual genetics? What did you inherit from them?
The prophet Lorenzo Snow taught,
“In our spiritual birth our Father transmitted to us the capabilities, powers and faculties which he himself possessed, as much so as the child on its mother’s bosom possesses, although in an undeveloped state, the faculties, powers and susceptibilities of its parent.”
Could it be that these capabilities, powers and faculties are in fact spiritual genes, passed on to us by heavenly parents in our spiritual birth?
Take a moment to ponder this question. What do the scriptures mean when they say we are all children of god? Ask yourself, "if I'm a child of god, His spiritual offspring, then what spiritual genes have I inherited from my Heavenly Father? What is my ultimate potential?
Genes and the genetic information they transmit are curious things. From strong physical features to subtle mannerisms, each of us has inherited much from our ancestors. And just as we can discover and develop our physical traits so too can we discover, nurture and strengthen our inherited spiritual attributes.
Both the scriptures and modern-day prophets confirm that we each possess innate spiritual capacities that, if cultivated, nurtured properly and exercised, will lead to godhood.
On the other hand, if we allow ourselves to become spiritually malnourished or lazy, our spiritual growth will be slowed or stunted. If left uncorrected, spiritual malnutrition can lead to significant spiritual challenges, such as spiritual deafness (not being able to hear the word of the Lord) or spiritual blindness (not being able to see the hand of God in our life).
The prophet Isaiah wrote of healing these spiritual conditions—which he knew would afflict some in our day—through the words of a book: “And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness” (Isaiah 29:18; see also 2 Nephi 27:29). This healing book, this feast of spiritual nourishment, is the Book of Mormon.