Marriage is Essential

What is marriage? Why is marriage essential?  
 

On September 23, 1995, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” As an explanation for the proclamation, President Gordon B Hinckley said, “The world we are in is a world of turmoil, of shifting values. Shrill voices call out for one thing or another in betrayal of time-tested standards of behavior…With so much deception concerning standards and values, with so much of allurement and enticement to take on the slow stain of the world, we have felt to warn and forewarn.” (Hinckley, 1995) 

“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” is designed to help us realize the importance of families in our Heavenly Father’s plan. The proclamation starts out by establishing the definition of the family. It states a few times in the text that “marriage between a man and a woman” is ‘ordained of God’ and is ‘essential to His eternal plan’. Before we came to this earth, we lived with our Heavenly Father as spirt children; in the preexistence, our Father in Heaven presented a plan for all of his children. We are here on earth, living in families and working on making it back to live with our Heavenly Father and our families.

With the world ever changing and the meaning of the family be redefined; I know that proclamation will be a guiding light for the world. David Bednar has said “Ultimate happiness, which is the very object of the Father’s plan, is received through the making and honoring of eternal marriage covenants.” A covenant is an agreement made between God and an individual. Marriage is not temporary, it’s not just a piece of paper, it’s a commitment and a covenant that we make. 

This video portrays a variety of couples who share how they express love. They show a commitment to each other through the way they treat their spouse, the way they show love and the way they honor their marriage covenant.

 

Bruce Hafen has that that “marriage is by nature a covenant, not just a private contract one may cancel at will. Jesus taught about contractual attitudes when he described the “hireling,” who performs his conditional promise of care only when he receives something in return. When the hireling “seeth the wolf coming,” he “leaveth the sheep, and fleeth… because he … careth not for the sheep.” By contrast, the Savior said, “I am the good shepherd, … and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Many people today marry as hirelings. And when the wolf comes, they flee.”   

I love the imagery portrayed in the example given above; marriage is not easy, it takes effort, it takes selflessness and it takes work. I have seen examples in my life of contract and covenant marriages. When both spouse are committed to each other and promise to do whatever it takes to make their marriage work; they will be able to make it through trials and ultimately have a successful and happy marriage. 

David Bednar has said “As we look beyond mortality and into eternity, it is easy to discern that the counterfeit alternatives the adversary advocates can never lead to the completeness that is made possible through the sealing together of a man and a woman, to the happiness of righteous marriage, to the joy of posterity, or to the blessing of eternal progression”

I love the line "joy of posterity." Some days marriage and family life is anything but joyful; but really, my family brings me the greatest joy and happiness. I am not a natural mother or wife; its hard work and sometimes there are sad days. But having the knowledge that I do about God's eternal plan and knowing where I want to end up, helps push me through the hard days. I am grateful for marriage and know that it is essential and know that when two people come together and do their best; anything is possible.

References:
Hinckley, G.B (1995) The family, a proclamation to the world. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng

Bednar, D.A (2006) Marriage is essential to his eternal plan, retrieved from https://www.lds.org/ensign/2006/06/marriage-is-essential-to-his-eternal-plan?lang=eng

Hafen, B. C. (1996) Covenant marriage. Ensign, 26