Patriarchal Blessings

"The same Lord who provided a Liahona for Lehi provides for you and for me today a rare and valuable gift to give direction to our lives, to mark the hazards to our safety, and to chart the way, even safe passage—not to a promised land, but to our heavenly home. The gift to which I refer is known as your patriarchal blessing. . . .

"Patriarchs are humble men. They are students of the scriptures. They stand before God as the means whereby the blessings of heaven can flow from that eternal source to the recipient on whose head rests the hands of the patriarch. He may not be a man of letters, a possessor of worldly wealth, or a holder of distinguished office. He, however, must be blessed with priesthood power and personal purity. To reach to heaven for divine guidance and inspiration, a patriarch is to be a man of love, a man of compassion, a man of judgment, a man of God.

"A patriarchal blessing is a revelation to the recipient, even a white line down the middle of the road, to protect, inspire, and motivate activity and righteousness. A patriarchal blessing literally contains chapters from your book of eternal possibilities. I say eternal, for just as life is eternal, so is a patriarchal blessing. What may not come to fulfillment in this life may occur in the next. . . .

"Your patriarchal blessing is yours and yours alone. It may be brief or lengthy, simple or profound. Length and language do not a patriarchal blessing make. It is the Spirit that conveys the true meaning. Your blessing is not to be folded neatly and tucked away. It is not to be framed or published. Rather, it is to be read. It is to be loved. It is to be followed." ("Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light", President Monson)

"These blessings . . . must be earned. Otherwise they are but empty words. . . . To look upon a patriarch as a fortune teller is an offense to the priesthood; the patriarch only indicates the gifts the Lord would give us, if we labor for them. He helps us by pointing out the divine goal which we may enjoy if we pay the price. . . . As the blessing was given through the inspiration of the Lord, so its meaning will be made clear by the same power." ("The Meaning of a Patriarchal Blessing," Elder John A. Widtsoe)

"Other priesthood blessings you recieve throughout your life may expand on themes mentioned in your patriarchal blessing. Know your blessing well enough to tell when those extra explanations come." (Liahona Oct 1997, 20.)

Challenge: Read your patriarchal blessing once a month for guidance and to remind you of your eternal potential.