Marriage: The Institution of God

Originally for this blog post I was going to type something about social class in relation to families. However, I then stumbled upon the following video and I felt I had to say something about this.

I believe he's on to something. He has some truths in here.

The diagram to the right is something I've learned. When a husband and a wife are both striving for the goal of reaching Heavenly Father, striving to become closer to Him and His son, Jesus Christ, they automatically become closer to each other. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is what you should build your foundation on. A husband and a wife are partners.



There's a proclamation given to the world from literal prophets of God to say that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children." It's from The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Families are important. Marriage is important. It is being attacked from all sides.

Bruce C. Hafen gave a speech entitled "How We Lost the Plot." In it he describes all the ways we have lost our way in what marriage is.

"When one believes that starting or ending a marriage is just a personal choice, one is less likely to think of one's own marriage as a serious social or moral obligation. Without even realizing why they assume and expect what they do, some people therefore feel less committed to making their marriages work and more willing to walk away when they're not getting what they want. . . . The changes in recent decades have portrayed marriage as an individual adult choice, rather than as a crucial knot in the very fabric that holds society together."

Being married is not just individual. It's something that brings two families together. It's an institution. It's the backbone of society. It's where future generations are raised. Marriage is a huge deal in mortality, let alone in the eternities.

"We can plan for success," President Henry B. Eyring advised ("The Family"). Don't plan to fail. Do the best you can and do what is right. Put your trust in God, and listen to his guidance and immediately follow it. He knows what is best. He's more invested in your life and in your family than I think we realize.

Look to our prophets and the wisdom and knowledge we can gain from their words. Turn to Bishops. Plan to be successful. It takes work, but it's worth it. Those are just a few of my own thoughts on the matter.

I've put up the video on Facebook asking for insights from other people. I may continue to update this as more come. But one such insight is:

"Without Christ as a member of marriage, a marriage cannot bring the degree of joy it's designed to bring to our lives. Without Christ in marriage we would lack the perspective and direction we need for such a sacred union to not only work but blossom" (Judith).