If your family is a great source of love and joy in your life, it might be hard to imagine heaven without relationships with those people. Part of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that families can be together forever.

In the Bible, Jesus gave the Twelve Apostles priesthood authority, promising that “whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). That same authority from God unites—or seals—husbands and wives and parents and children together for eternity.

Marriage ceremonies are performed in temples by this same authority with the promise that the marriages of those who are faithful to God and each other can last for eternity instead of ending at death.

We perform these same sealing ceremonies on behalf of our ancestors, who we believe can choose to accept or reject the sealings.

Family relationships and circumstances can be complicated, and we don’t know exactly how everything will work out in the next life. But we have faith in God’s perfect wisdom and love, and we believe that heaven will be a place of unimaginable joy.