The Noblest Yearning of the Human Heart

TheDiscipleMD

“The prophets have uniformly taught that the consummate and culminating element of God’s great plan for the blessing of His children is eternal marriage”… Ezra Taft Benson stated. “Faithfulness to the marriage covenant brings the fullest joy here and glorious rewards hereafter.” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 533–34).

Howard W. Hunter described celestial marriage as “the crowning gospel ordinance”… (Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1997], 132, 140)

I cannot fully express the joy and happiness I feel each time I witness one of my children being sealed in the house of the Lord. Yet, the road traveled of an eternal marriage is no different from any other. No magical wand is waved over the heads of couples during the ceremony giving them immunity to the problems of this life. However, promises are given and sacred covenants are made in the temple that will provide a foundation for a happy and prosperous marriage. It is a faith promoting experience to see your chosen mate raise their hand to the square and promise “Before God, Angels and these witnesses” that they will obey the law of chastity, the law of sacrifice and obedience to the commandments of the Lord. It is comforting to enter this most Godly relationship knowing that your partner desires a Christ-centered home.

My wife and I are into our forty fourth year of marriage but I still get a spiritual lift when I see her in the temple dressed in white. For a short time, in my eyes, she is transported back to the day we were married in the temple. Each time we visit the temple, both she and I get the opportunity to witness each other make sacred vows to the Lord and, by so doing, we are again making them to each other. Over the course of a lifetime, faithful saints will have hundreds of opportunities to “renew” their vows, thereby renewing their expressions of love and committment.

There are many reasons we are encouraged to visit the temple and many blessings that come from so doing. But none more so, than the strength and respite that it gives to couples as they travel down the dusty roads of life.  Russell M. Nelson once said, “The noblest yearning of the human heart is for a marriage that can endure beyond death” (“Celestial Marriage”, GC, Oct. 2008) How divinely stated! How wonderfully true! Being married in the temple of the Lord will not guarantee success, but it should provide a couple with the proper foundation and foresight on which to build their home.

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