The Role of a Righteous Father

From an official statement given by the general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," we learn of the divine role of a father. "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." There are many great examples of righteous fathers found in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. However, I would like to write about one of those fathers from out of the Book of Mormon, his name was Lehi.
Lehi is the first prophet of the Book of Mormon. He, in the beginning had a great family. He had four sons who names were Laman, Lemuel, Nephi, and Sam. By revelation and divine guidance, he was able to guide his family out of Jerusalem and into the promised land. Though he had rebellious children, he spared no effort in teaching them the ways of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He had a vision one night about a tree that bore the most desirous of fruits, even eternal life. Upon walking up to the tree he plucked off the fruit of it and bit into it. "And I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruits" (1 Nephi 8:12). What a righteous father! He partook of something great, and his immediate desire following this realization of this sweet treat was to share it with his family. The account given in the Book of Mormon talks more about the tree and the fruit thereof, but I choose not to focus on that until a later time. Right now I just wish to focus on the miracle that took place. Lehi continued to lead his family in the ways of the Lord. When times were tough, he remained a beacon of light to his family who struggled in darkness. Very seldom did he shirk his responsibility as a father, and in times when he was less than the example to his wife and children he repented and searched for forgiveness from his family and the Lord.
As fathers and husbands, we can not shirk on our responsibilities as parents. We can not partake of something so sweet and desirable and then tuck it away and hide it and keep it for ourselves. It is our responsibility to lead our family to the thing that will bring them true happiness, joy, and peace. The closer we come to our families, the closer we come to the Lord, and true happiness. Pray with your families and spouse, studying the word of the Lord through reading and listening to the scriptures, and go to church often with your family bear testimony to them of the truthfulness of the things they will learn.
As a special witness to Jesus Christ, I know that His gospel, in all its simplicity and glory, we greatly bless our families. For more information on how you can build a more happier home please check out mormon.org/family/