“As a husband and wife are each drawn to the Lord, as they learn to serve and cherish one another, as they share life experiences and grow together and become one, and as they are blessed through the uniting of their distinctive natures, they begin to realize the fulfillment that our Heavenly Father desires for His children. Ultimate happiness, which is the very object of the Father’s plan, is received through the making and honoring of eternal marriage covenants.” (“Marriage Is Essential to His Eternal Plan,” Ensign, Jun 2006, 86)

We have to do things in marriage that can be hard: serving each other, sharing life experiences (life can be difficult), uniting different natures, and keeping covenants. Everyone has struggles in doing these things, but these struggles help us grow closer to the Lord. The hard times and the strength we build to overcome them with the Lord are what bring the happiness and fulfillment God promises.

A temple marriage gives a couple covenants to keep that are goals for each of them in the marriage. As couples keep promises to the Lord, they will also keep promises to each other. God’s commandments are meant to bring people together, especially in marriages, and if we obey God, we can treat those around us the way Jesus would. In a marriage, there are many things that can divide the attention and devotion of either partner, whether it be a car, a job, some worldly goal, or another person, these things pull marriages apart. When couples let their devotion to each other only be partnered with a devotion to God, they grow closer together.

During the hard times, it is sometimes easier to turn to something outside of the marriage for help, comfort, or distraction. The only thing we can turn to that will help the family and the marriage is the Lord. He can help us heal and turn back to our marriages and families with love, growing closer to them by growing closer to him. Our marriages and families are what truly bring us happiness, both in this life and in the eternities. The Lord wants us to have that happiness, and he does everything to help us reach it. He gives us temple ordinances that unite families for eternity, and if we turn to him, he can give us the strength we need to keep marriages strong and families together.

Family is extremely important to Mormons, and to many, it seems easiest to cling to the love of a spouse, the adoration of a child, or the care of a parent. While family ties are crucial, our relationships with our families and others around us depend on our relationship to the savior.

Forgiveness is a crucial part of family life in which the Savior is our only true example. In a marriage, a husband and wife are required to forgive one another. The act of forgiveness becomes so much easier with the knowledge that Jesus Christ, who is perfect, forgave those who crucified him as he hung on the cross. Can we hold a grudge against a spouse or brother for human mistakes (the same kind we make) when Christ would forgive them?

The strength family members receive from a real relationship with the Savior allows them to forgive one another. If we cling to Christ, he will lend us the ability to bear one another’s burdens and bring the uplifting spirit of Jesus into family life. While we must trust our families, if we trust in Christ most, he can help us keep our families whole and trustworthy. He can bless us with the ability to hold up our families in hard times.

If we cling to one another, we may fall together, being imperfect, but if we individually cling to Christ, we can rise together as the Lord lifts even one member of the family. The example of one family member’s willingness to act Christ like can be an inspiration to a whole family. Christ lifts us when we aren’t strong, and he can give us the strength to lift our families when no member of the family is feeling strong.

Also, I try to have them understand that if a present costs more it doesn’t necessarily means that it is worth more. I noticed for example this conversation between one of my children and a friend.

“What did you get for Christmas last year ?”

“Oh, I got this jacket”

“..how much did it cost?”….

It looks like sometimes they don’t really know the value of a gift and they assume that if a present is more expensive it must be more valuable and (unfortunately) a proof that the parents love the child more.

Because of these my recurring thoughts during Christmas Season I really appreciated the LDS (Mormon) Gem I received this morning:

“The meaning of more and less is not always crystal clear. There are times when less is in reality more and times when more can be less. For instance, less pursuit of materialism may enable more family togetherness. More indulgence of children may result in less understanding of life’s important values.”

(H. David Burton, “More Holiness Give Me,” Ensign, Nov. 2004, 99)