Dear Young Women,
Have you ever wondered why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints encourages temple marriage? This article is directed at the youth and explains it wonderfully. No matter which stage your testimony is at in regards to wanting a temple marriage, I hope this will encourage you a bit more to strive to be married in the temple at the right time to a worthy young man.
The Doctrine of the Family
We use the term doctrine to help define many things in the Church. For example, the Guide to the Scriptures defines doctrine of Christ
as “the principles and teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” So
what do we mean when we talk about the doctrine of the family or the
doctrine of eternal marriage?
“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” states, “Marriage between a
man and a woman is ordained of God and … the family is central to the
Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” In other words,
when we talk about why we are here on the earth and what we are meant
to accomplish and become, it’s all tied to the idea that we are part of a
family and can marry and establish new families.
The family proclamation also states: “The divine plan of happiness
enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred
ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for
individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be
united eternally.”
But what happens to our families when we die? If you are married by
the law of your state or country, will that law have any authority over
you when you die? No, because those laws are made by man and have
authority only as long as you live under that authority. For marriage
relationships to continue after you die, those marriages must be sealed
together in the right place with authority that lasts through the
eternities. That place is the temple, and that authority is the
priesthood (see
D&C 132:7, 15–19).
By choosing a temple marriage and keeping those covenants, you choose to be able to live forever with your spouse.
The Reason We Care
Maybe you already know that doctrine, and yet you still wonder, “But
why else does it matter so much?” Maybe it’s not a matter of
understanding the doctrine. Maybe it’s more a simple question of what
marriage and family mean in your heart. The simple answer is that the
greatest happiness and joy available to us come through living the
gospel and gaining and maintaining a temple marriage.
“Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and … the
family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His
children” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”).
In the April 2013 general conference, Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the
Presidency of the Seventy explained it this way: “No other relationship
of any kind can bring as much joy, generate as much good, or produce as
much personal refinement.”
We also know that “happiness in family life is most likely to be
achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
If you think about it, you’ll spend a large part of your life
preparing for big changes that come along. There’s baptism, graduating
from Primary into Young Men or Young Women, attending the temple, and
participating in family history research and temple ordinances for your
ancestors. For young men, there’s receiving the priesthood and advancing
in priesthood offices. For young women, there’s advancing in Young
Women classes. There’s high school graduation or its equivalent. And now
missionaries can leave at age 18 or 19. There’s a lot to prepare for
and look forward to.
But the most important covenant we prepare for is being sealed in the
temple. When individuals in families live according to the plan of
happiness and keep their temple covenants, they experience true joy.
The gospel is what life is all about. It’s the whole reason we are
here. When we follow the gospel path, it leads to joy. And that path
leads to a temple marriage, either in this life or in the life to come.
No blessings will be withheld from the Father’s faithful children.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles counseled, “The most important single thing that any Latter-day
Saint ever does in this world is to marry the right person, in the
right place, by the right authority.”
Joys of Marriage
Some of the joys of marriage include:
Confidence and Support. When you get married, you
have someone who will cheer you on and encourage you in doing what is
right, who will lift you up each day, who will share in all your joys
and sorrows.
Children. It brings great joy to be trusted with the care and keeping of Heavenly Father’s children.
Sharing. It is such a great blessing to share in the
life of another person and someday in the life of children as well.
Your and your spouse’s successes become successes for the family. Making
memories together adds deeper meaning to life.
Counsel. A spouse can give you good, honest advice,
and you can trust it because you know it’s coming from someone who has
only your best interests at heart.
Strength. Two are stronger than one. You can strengthen and help each other to live the gospel more completely.
Laughter. When you know someone this well and when you really trust each other, you’ll enjoy life with laughter and humor.
Love. Being told each day that you are loved is marvelously renewing and refreshing.
Service. There is great joy in serving one another and much more so when you do it for someone you love.
Friendship. You’ll have someone there with you through the good times and bad.
Trust. It is comforting to know that you are with
someone who always wants what’s best for you and that you can confide in
him or her without fear.
Physical and Emotional Intimacy. Marriage is a
unique relationship in which the Lord binds two people in an eternal
relationship whose goals include oneness, togetherness, and joy.
To read this article, and others on Temple Marriage, click
here.
Last year I posted on temple marriage, to read that, click this link:
Temple Marriage. I completed that post after our temple marriage mutual activities. Remember the wedding dresses and wedding time capsules? Those were a blast!
Let's do that again soon!
Sunday, I taught on strengthening our personal testimonies. I hope that you will apply some of the principles we discussed and begin to strengthen your testimony of a temple marriage. I have a testimony that the temple is the only place where we can be married and have that relationship continue beyond this life. I also know that when we are married in the temple we have the Lord as a third partner in our marriage.
One day (many years from now!) I look forward to receiving temple wedding announcements from you wonderful young women.
Love, Sister Chambers
