There are so many good and wonderful things that you can say about
marriage,
but when it comes down to it the most important thing that
will strengthen my marriage is to come to understand what the Lord’s
purpose is for it and why it’s essential to my eternal progression and
life.
In the talk
“Marriage Is Essential To His Eternal Plan”,
Elder Bednar gives us two reasons and three principles
that are
doctrinally based of why marriage is essential.
*Because men and women are so unique in their personalities and abilities each one is needed in the plan of happiness. Man needs woman and woman needs man in order to make it to exaltation.
#2 Reason- “By divine design, both a man and a woman are needed to bring children into mortality and to provide the best setting for the rearing and nurturing of children.”
*Studies have shown that children thrive more when they are in a home with a mother and father. One study says, “Compared to children who are raised by their married parents, children in other family types are more likely to achieve lower levels of education, to become teen parents, and to experience health, behavior, and mental health problems.” (Are Married Parents Really Better for Children? What Research Says About the Effects of Family Structure on Child Well-Being, by Mary Parke)
This is an annotated version of a Couples and Marriage Research and Policy brief published in May 2003 by the Center for Law and Social Policy (available at www.clasp.org).
#1 Principle- “The importance or eternal marriage can be understood only within the context of the Father’s plan of happiness.
#2 Principle- “Satan desires that all man and women be miserable like unto himself.”
#3 Principle- “The ultimate blessings of love and happiness are obtained through the covenant relationship of eternal marriage.”
Most
of the world would view marriage as a contract and not a covenant!
Elder Bruce C. Hafen in his talk
“Covenant Marriage”,
says that a couple
in a “contractual marriage seek happiness by walking away”,
but in a
covenant marriage
“when the troubles come, the husband and wife work
them through”.
I am so grateful for the knowledge that we are given about eternal relationships.
This all just makes sense to me.
Men and women need each other and when we are true to the covenants
that we make with our Heavenly Father and our spouse,
life is put in perspective and it gives us meaning and purpose.
I know that life is not made easier, but it sure makes it worth it!
