Celestial Marriage

My thoughts on Elder Nelson's talk "Celestial Marriage"



I don't think it is a accident that this year's primary theme is on Eternal Families, and that our prophets have increased their mention of family and celestial marriage in their talks. Just like I don't think it was an accident that for years they talked about getting out of debt and look at us now. (Not that the downturn/recession will change their call to financial stability, getting out of debt and preparedness.) Elder Nelson tells us, remind us, preaches to us the importance of celestial marriages.



I love the messages of JOY scattered through the conference this time around. It truly made me stop and think "Am I happy? Am I filled with JOY?"



"That joy comes when we choose to live in harmony with God's eternal plan."



Joy comes when we choose the right. Plain and simple! The other day a child made a mistake, tried to cover it up, was unrepentant when caught and the day went downhill from there. If he had just repented when caught, the subject would have been dropped. BUT NO! How many times am I caught being unhappy because I was unrepentant?



I've always loved this thought, "While salvation is an individual matter, exaltation is a family matter." I remember my mom telling me that as a teen and I've thought about it often. I will be saved through my OWN actions and my own acceptance of the atonement, but I won't get to the highest without a celestial marriage.



"To obtain the highest, a husband and wife must be sealed for time and all eternity and keep their covenants made in a holy temple." The task is not complete until you have KEPT the covenants. It is one of those "endure to the end" things that we constantly run into.



"The noblest yearning of the human heart is for a marriage..."



Satan has sure mixed that truth up!



"...that can endure beyond death." Fidelity to a temple marriage does that. It allows families to be together forever."



Of course there are days I don't want to be together forever (just joking)!



It would truly be a lonely place without our families. I was recently in the Salt Lake area on a business trip and was in a hotel with a very, very good friend, but not with a single member of my family. I wasn't ALONE and I truly wasn't LONELY, but I did miss my family. I loved the solitude and the ability I had to read 100 plus pages in my book, but I did miss them. I missed their noise, chaos and their hugs. I can't imagine not having them with me forever.



"The earth was created and this church was restored so that families could be formed, sealed and exalted eternally."

And I'm so thankful for that!



"To qualify for eternal life, we must make an eternal and everlasting covenant with our Heavenly Father. This means that a temple marriage is not only between husband and wife; it embraces a partnership with God."



Of course when I was younger and getting married I was naive in my knowledge of this concept, but I embraces it with my heart and wished, hoped and dreamt it was true. In fact I told my future husband (he was "just a friend" at that time in our dating) one evening that my wedding ring needed to have three stones: one representing him, one me and the big one Heavenly Father. I had been taught that it was a three way covenant and I wanted my wedding right to represent that. Little did I know that he was listening and proposed to me with a ring with three diamonds in it.



"When a family is sealed in the temple, that family may become as eternal as the kingdom of God itself."

COOL!!!!! This talk is just filled with gems and thoughts I had thought but didn't have the words for or never attempted to vocalize.



Ok, I just love this next quote: "In fact, each marriage starts with two built in handicaps. It involves two imperfect people."



One of those people is ME! My goal is to change that and not be a handicap to our marriage (but I feel I'm failing miserable)!



He goes on...."That effort will succeed if each partner will minimize personal demands and maximize actions of loving selflessness."

That is why I fail! I'm one of the most selfish persons on the planet. My feeling are wounded quickly and I hold on to those feelings and nurse them for all it is worth! I have a closet full of hurts that need tending regularly and when I'm down, I go to my closet, open it up and visit with them all. One day I will clean them all out, but for now they are like my old pair of jeans that fit so nicely--I can't toss them out.



And the last quote: "Harmony in marriage comes only when one esteems the welfare of his or her spouse among the highest of priorities. When that really happens a celestial marriage becomes a reality, bringing great joy in this life and in the life to come."



I guess I have a lot of work to do. But I'm sure it will be worth it!