Eternal Marriage

1.     I like to tell a young couple who are being married that in the marriage relationship they ought to look first to one another, as they do across the altar during their marriage not first to their parents, not first to their siblings, not first to their friends, but in solving all of their problems, they should look first to one another, because the unity between them under the presiding, loving authority of a Heavenly Father in that triangle… is what will get them over the inevitable problems of marriage.  - Elder Oaks, Round table discussion, 2008 leadership Training Meeting: Building Up a Righteous Posterity.

2.     Happiness does not consist of a glut of luxury, the world’s idea of a “good time” Nor must we search for it in faraway places with strange sounding names. Happiness is found at home. - Thomas S. Monson, Hallmarks of a Happy Home, Ensign October 2001

3.     Some of our most important choices concern family activities. May breadwinners worry that their occupations leave too little time for their families. Here is no easy formula for that contest of priorities. However, I have never known of a man who looked back on his working life and said, “I just didn’t spend enough time with my job.” - Dallin H. Oaks, Good Better Best, October 2007 conference.

4.     Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less an consume less of the world’s goods in order so spend more time with their children- more time eating together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. - Julie B. Beck, Mothers Who Know. October 2007, General Conference

5.     There are multitudes of pure and holy spirits waiting to take tabernacles, now what is or duty? To prepare tabernacles for them; to take a course that will not tend to drive those spirits into the families of the wicked, where they will be trained in wickedness, debauchery, and every species of crime. It is the duty of every righteous man and woman to prepare tabernacles for all the spirits they can. - Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young by John A. Widtsoe

6.     “True love is a process.  True love requires personal action” Marvin J. Ashton (Ensign, Nov. 1975, 108).

7.     “If we would truly seek to be more like our Savior and Master, learning to love as He loves should be our highest goal” Ezra Taft Benson (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 275).

8.     “Fidelity to one’s marriage vows is absolutely essential for love, trust and peace” Ezra Taft Benson (Ensign, July 1992, 3).

9.     “Marriage. . . is the most glorious and most exalting principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  No ordinance is of more importance and none more sacred and more necessary to the eternal joy of man.  Faithfulness to the marriage covenant brings the fullest joy here and glorious rewards hereafter.” Ezra Taft Benson (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 533–34)

10.  “Our Heavenly Father wants our hearts to be knit together.  That union in love is not simply an ideal.  It is a necessity” Henry B. Erying (Ensign, May 1998, 66).

I have been married for almost three years and have learned so much during that time. There is nothing more important than the relationship we have with our spouses. We must learn to love them through the thickest and thinnest of times. We must learn to develop Christ-like attributes so that we can have a deeper love within our marriage. We must hold an eternal perspective throughout our marriage. When we understand that a lot of the issues we experience in marriage don’t have much affect on the eternities we are able to have more patience and love for our spouse. I know that by staying close to the gospel we will be able to strengthen our eternal marriage.