Question: Where were we before we came to this earth, and did we pick our parents before we came down here, and if we did, why would I have picked such a terrible, abusive set of parents as I got?
Response: there’s quite a bit more on my website about this very question of where we came from, but in short, for this response, I will say that before we came to this earth we lived in a premortal existence with our Heavenly Father. I do not know if we picked our parents. There is no scriptural reference that identifies that. It may be the opinion of others such as your cousin that we did.
There is only one thing I can say about why you ended up in such a family, if you had had a choice to go some place else where it would be more peaceful and happy for you. In the grand design of our Heavenly Father, some strong person had to be sent into that family to "break the mold." I will use this analogy. When Christ healed a blind man, His apostles said, "Lord, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Christ’s answer was, "Neither this man nor his parents, but that the mysteries of God might be made manifest through them."
One of the great mysteries of God is that His children have their free agency on this earth, and can do many things of their own free will and choice to bring to pass much righteousness. Because of the things you have suffered, it’s very likely that you are going to be an ever more loving, kind, and sensitive parent, and you will not treat your children the way you have been treated. It may be that in your later years will come friends and associates who will need to know how to be better parents and better Christ-centered individuals. You will be able to tell them because of your own experiences. While I do not know why you were sent into your family, I believe the above things to be part of the mysteries of our Heavenly Father, as to how He allows bad things to happen to good people. It is simply so that others might be blessed by knowing them. I hope this is helpful to you.
